Beautiful Disaster
by HowCouldThisHappenToMe
Summary: My brothers have undergone a change none of us could have been prepared for. To make matters worse, some guy comes into my life and won't leave it. How can I get Leo, Donny, Raphie and Mikey back to normal if we don't even know what happened? OCXOC
1. Chapter 1

**NOTICE!!! This story is told from the point of view of an OC, Amelia. She's the turtles' "sister" of sorts. She's human, but her story as to how she was found and adopted is told later in this chapter. Please, don't judge her right off the bat. I've worked really hard on this character. She's the youngest of the family, being a year younger than her brothers and she weilds a tessen, which is a war-fan.**

**I also want to say that this doesn't really have much of a timeline that it follows. All I can really say is that Amelia is going to be eighteen years old, making the turtles nineteen. I don't know if any of the bad guys I'll be bringing in have been killed off or not, but considering so many antagonists in this show "die" and then come back later, I figure it really won't have much of an impact. So, with that, please enjoy this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. It belongs to Mirage. I do, however, own any and all OCs I have put in this story.**

* * *

I reached for the tessen that rested on my hip, my fingers barely touching it. I was ready to use it at a moment's notice. The room I was in was dark, pitch black, actually. I couldn't see anything in front of me and was forced to rely on my other senses if I wanted to keep my life. The only light in the room was from a small candle on the other side, some thirty feet away. It didn't provide any help, but for allowing me to see if and when a blade was drawn. Of course, I would most likely hear the blade before I saw the light glimmering off of it, but it was always good to keep an open mind. This was especially true in my situation. I knew I was surrounded by four unseen opponents, all armed. I didn't know where they were or when they'd strike, but I needed to be prepared for anything. I heard a slight shuffling, like a shift in weight, from the right and jerked my head to face it. All sound ceased.

Suddenly, I saw a glint out of the corner of my eye and could hear a shift as one of my opponents leaped into the air. I pulled a kunai out of its holster at my waist and held it above my head. One blade came down and met with my dagger, causing small sparks to fly. I jumped back, still holding the kunai in front of me for protection. The first attack was only the start. I soon found myself bombarded with assaults and could barely hold them off. Finally, I pulled out my tessen and opened it, the blade on its edge glimmering in the limited light provided by the candle. My foes each took a small step back, knowing my mastery of my weapon. It was my turn to take the offensive, and I took that advantage. I ran forward, my tessen in front of me and used it to slice at the nearest opponent. He jumped back, possibly doing a back flip, and landed silently in an unknown area. The others surrounded me and tried to capture me, as I knew was their goal. I fought for my freedom, my movements fluid-like and controlled. Finally, I felt one of them tackle me to the ground and I skidded against the bricks. I landed rigidly, but only grunted in the struggle to free myself. There was the sound of metal clattering to the floor and I knew it was my tessen, as I had dropped it. The being on top of me didn't let up and I felt a very sharp point being pressed to my throat. My breath caught in my throat, but I showed no other signs of fear.

"Match," a familiar voice said above me. I knew there was a smirk on his face.

"Alright, alright. Just get off me and get the sai away from my throat," I answered obstinately, rolling my eyes.

There was a soft click as the lights slowly turned on in the lair and my vision was restored. Hovering above me was my second eldest brother, with the smirk I'd known he'd had. His dark green skin had made him blend perfectly in the darkness, better than my other three brothers would have if there had been more light. The tails of his red eye mask hung to either side of my head and I glared into his dark brown eyes. He twirled his sais in his hands a few times before placing them in his belt and getting off me. He then extended a hand and helped me stand up before rubbing his hand against the top of my head, mussing my short, chocolate-brown hair.

"Not bad, Ame," he said with a chuckle. I playfully slapped his hand away and ran my fingers through my hair to straighten it out again.

"Thanks, Raph, but did you _have_ to put the sai to my throat? What if I gulped?"

"But ya didn't." I punched his shoulder, only to have him push me back, into my eldest brother, Leonardo.

Leo chuckled as he helped me keep my balance and handed my tessen to me. I closed it and replaced it on my hip before my four brothers and I walked to take a seat in front of our teacher and father, Master Splinter. He was an old rat, with grey fur and eyes that illustrated his wisdom. I was taller than him, as well as all my brothers, but not by much.

"You have done well, my children," he said, looking over each of us. "This concludes your training for today." All of us nodded and watched as he left the room before we stood. Mikey immediately draped one arm over my shoulders with a laugh.

"You almost had us that time, Amy," he congratulated.

He was the youngest of my older brothers, and the most fun-loving. Michelangelo was the one who kept things lively around the lair, especially when he decided to get on Raphael's nerves. He was the second palest green in skin tone and the lightest of my brothers. Mike was the only one that I could wrestle with, and not have to worry about hurting myself too badly. Oddly, he had baby blue eyes that did not match the rest of our family, though the turtles were all biologically related, and he wore an orange eye mask around his head. His weapons of choice were the nunchakus, with which he was very skilled.

Donatello was next in line in terms of age. He was the palest of my brothers and had eyes the color of caramel. He was the genius of the family, able to fix all things mechanical. He was the one who had taught me all I knew about machines. I often helped with the multitude of projects he worked on, providing insight he had previously overlooked. I was nowhere near as intelligent as he, but I liked to think I was helpful to him. Donny usually preferred to think his way through any predicaments we may be in, though that was often not possible due to the nature of our battles. He wielded a bo staff, and knew how to use it. More often than I'd like to remember had I found myself on the defense against him during our training exercises.

Raphael… now he was something else. The tough guy, the hot-head and the first to jump into action. Yep. That was my brother. He was darkest of all my brothers and had brown eyes that looked almost black. He was also the most muscular, which was why I wasn't able to wrestle with him, as much as I would have liked to. I was probably closest to Raph, for reasons that are difficult to explain. He had the softest spot for me out of all my brothers and was the first to react if ever I was put in a dangerous situation. I often thought of him as my protector, because that's what he did. Of course, Raphael would never admit that he had such a soft spot for me, but he didn't need to. I knew it, as well as the rest of our family. His weapons were a pair of sais, which I had been subjected to in our training today. Raph always worked me the hardest, pushing me to my limits and beyond. I figured it was because he wanted to make sure I could defend myself, in case he wasn't around to do it for me.

Leonardo was our leader. He always took responsibility for everything and took care of us. He was the eldest and had the second darkest skin tone, along with eyes just like mine, chocolate-brown. He was a little less muscular than Raphael and was the one who was best at keeping his cool in the heat of battle. That was probably why he was our leader. He could come up with a plan in a matter of moments, which came in handy when we were against the Shredder, Purple Dragons or the Foot Clan. Leo was a master with the two katanas he wielded and the most disciplined of all of us. Even as long as I had known him, the determination he had never ceased to amaze me.

I was the youngest of the family, a year younger than my brothers, and the only human. Master Splinter had taken me in when I was only four years old, when he found me after my parents had disappeared. I didn't even have any memories of them. My family, for as long as I can remember, has been Master Splinter and the four turtles I call my brothers. Being the only girl in the family, there are different obstacles I must face. For starters, my clothing had to be carefully chosen to appeal to the lifestyle I was taking on. When I wasn't dressing for the purpose of going into the city, I wore a black kimono-style top that ended at my mid-thighs with a pair of sleek black pants that came to my knees. The top of my shirt was accented with dark blue strips for the tomoeri and at the end of the sleeves, which fanned out from my hands. I also wore black sandals that were durable and easy to run in. My hair was short, reaching just above my chin, and as brown as my eyes and I had a fair skin tone. My mastery lied in the tessen, a fan with a blade on the edge.

"You're getting better at using your hearing rather than sight," Leonardo commented, snapping out of my musings.

"Raphie still pinned me down," I answered with a shrug.

"And you fought back. You can definitely hold your own in a fight, no doubt about that."

I smiled at my eldest brother for his compliment. Though I had always thought myself weakest of the group, simply because I wasn't built like the rest of them, I was happy to hear his kind words. It was nice to know I wasn't useless in a battle. I glanced around the lair to find Michelangelo already looking for a good movie to watch and Donatello was walking towards his work-space to work on his latest project.

"Guys, I'm just gonna go to bed. I'm beat," I said as I turned away.

My brothers all bid me goodnight, each in their own way, and I walked into my room. After closing the door behind me, I placed my weapons on the small table near my bed and quickly changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top. I removed my black eye mask and set it with my weapons before dropping ineloquently onto my mattress. I curled into a ball under my blanket and soon drifted off to sleep, the day's events finally taking their toll on me.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. There will be even more interesting happenings in chapter two. This is gonna be good. -evil grin- Please R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

**And the fun begins...**

**Disclaimer: Dudes... I don't own TMNT. End of story. The best I got is ordering a pizza every once in a while.**

* * *

The buzzing of my alarm clock is what snapped me out of my comfortable dreaming. I groaned quietly and slammed my hand on the snooze button. I was just about to curl back up and fall asleep again. Unfortunately, I curled the wrong way and fell off of my bed and onto the cement floor. My only good fortune in that was the fact that my bed is only a mattress, leaving me to fall only a few inches. I scowled as I pushed myself into a sitting position. I figured since I was finally awake, I might as well get up. I had just stood when I heard a chorus of screams, all masculine.

"What the shell!" my brothers screamed.

I immediately snapped out of my half-sleeping daze and grabbed my tessen off of the table. I ran out of my room, opening the war-fan as I did. My feet pounded against the brick floor of the hall as I ran toward the source of my brothers' yells. They were all in the lair, probably having crashed after a marathon of movies, as was no doubt Michelangelo's idea. I jumped down from the second floor, where my room had been located, and into the middle of the lair. I turned towards the area that made up our living room, my tessen ready for use. What I saw made the blood rush to my cheeks as I used my weapon to cover my eyes. I could hear my brothers cry out in shock and turned my head away from where I had seen them.

"What the _shell_ happened to you guys?!" I demanded.

My brothers no longer looked as I was accustomed to seeing them. Their backs were bare, devoid of a shell, and their skin was no longer the rough green I had grown to love. Rather, they were varying degrees of a peach color. From a cursory glance, it was obvious that my brothers were no longer turtles, but humans. To make matters worse, they didn't have any clothes.

"We wish we knew," Donatello answered.

I turned so my back was facing them and tried to regain my composure. This all had to be some kind of horrible nightmare. No way could my brothers have been turned human. They were never human in the first place! It was all just a bad dream that I would wake up from in just a few moments. Nothing else could explain the situation.

"It's just a dream. It's just a dream," I mumbled.

"If it is, then we're all asleep," Raphael answered, angrier than usual for obvious reasons.

"Are you kidding me?!" I whirled around in anger, a natural reaction I had when yelling at someone. I quickly realized my mistake and looked away, my face bright red once more. "W-well, wh-what are we going to do now?"

"Dunno, but I'm really cold," Michelangelo answered, adding sound effects to his shivering.

"No duh, Mikey. We're warm-blooded now. Our bodies are trying to keep a regulated temperature," Donatello explained.

"Well, uh, for starters, I should probably go into the city and get you guys some clothes. And Master Splinter needs to know about this. I'll tell him so he doesn't have to get the shock I did. Just, uh, figure out what size clothes you'll wear and then hide away in your rooms until I get back, or something," I instructed.

Resigning to take the long way back to my room, I began walking away from where my brothers were. Once within the confines of my bedroom, I quickly pulled off my pajamas for clothes suitable for the city. I wore a pair of comfortable jeans and a black tank top, over which I wore a red hoodie. After pulling on a pair of socks and sneakers, I hooked on the belt where all my weapons were kept, putting my tessen in its place. I tentatively walked out of my room and found a slip of paper on the wall across from me. Written in Donatello's chicken-scratch handwriting were the relative sizes each of them would need, along with thanks for putting up with it all.

"Not like I have much choice," I mumbled as I walked down to the doors leading to Master Splinter's room. I knocked on his door softly, not wishing to disturb him. "Master Splinter?"

"You may enter, Amelia," he answered. I opened the door and silently stepped in, shutting it behind me. I took a seat before him and he looked over my current attire. "I see you are going into the city."

"Yes, sensei, but there's some, uh, something you need to know."

"And what is that, my daughter?"

"Well, uh, I don't really know how to explain this, considering I have no idea how it happened." Master Splinter gave me a patient look and I knew he'd wait as long as I needed him to before I could give him an answer. I sighed. "Leo, Donny, Raphie and Mikey are human." I cringed, waiting for some kind of reaction. When I heard nothing, I looked up to see him visibly surprised, but thinking over the situation. "I, uh, I was about to go, so they can have some clothes to wear since, well, y-you know…" I could feel my face growing redder by the moment.

"I see. You may go," Master Splinter answered. I nodded and quickly left the room, shutting his door behind me once more. Master Splinter would no doubt be meditating on the matter while I was gone.

"Mike, I'm stealing your skateboard! I'll be back soon!" I called over my shoulder, grabbing the board and jumping on it as I hurried through the sewage lines leading away from our home.

I soon came to a manhole that I knew lead to a usually-empty alleyway and climbed up with Michelangelo's skateboard strapped to my back. I lifted the manhole cover and climbed out of the sewers, covering it behind me. Glancing around to make sure no one had seen me, I hopped back onto Mikey's board and made my way down the busy streets of New York. No one thought anything of me as I skated around. It wasn't particularly strange to see a girl on a skateboard. Now, if it had been a turtle, then people would stare. I pulled the slip of paper with Don's chicken-scratch out of my back pocket and thought over what I could buy for my brothers, that wouldn't break the very tight budget my family and I had to keep. I soon found a store that looked promising and kicked the skateboard up, strapping it to my back once more, before walking inside.

Once at the lair again, I dropped the bags of clothes I had bought on the floor and began sorting through them. I had chosen to buy my brothers' clothes based on what I thought their personal style would be. Unfortunately, that had brought me to four different stores to try and find the right items. Don would kill me if he found out just how much I spent on the four of them separately. Why did clothing stores have to price everything so highly? With a sigh, I finished sorting everything and left each set of clothes in front my brothers' bedroom doors. I then sat in front of the television and waited for them to emerge. When I finally heard the footsteps behind me, I tentatively turned to see my four brothers in the clothes I had bought for them. I immediately thanked whatever higher being for my sense in color-coding them. Otherwise, wouldn't be able to tell which of my brothers was which at a glance. They had all changed so drastically, I could hardly recognize any part of them.

Leonardo was still the second palest, having the same skin tone as I did. His hair was a chocolate-brown and medium length, for a boy. He had it straightened as much as he could manage, which looked better-kept than the others. Leonardo actually looked like he could be my brother. He had a strong jaw-line, though softened and what one would call an average facial structure. He still had the look of a leader. The clothes I had picked out for him were a long sleeved, dark blue shirt with a collar that looked like one from a polo. He also wore a pair of white slacks and brown loafers.

Donny was even paler than Leo, as he always had been. His hair was darker, a little longer, and slightly wavy. He'd obviously put less effort keeping it tidy, but it looked as if he _did _try. His facial structure was softer then Leonardo's by a wide margin. For Donatello, I had chosen a much more laid-back style in clothing. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a small tear in each knee and a purple T-shirt with the word "GEEK" printed in big, bold, yellow-green lettering. His outfit was completed by a pair of black Converse sneakers.

My second-oldest brother was also the tannest. In fact, it looked as if he spent a lot of time in the sun. His hair almost looked black, though _did_ have some brown highlights throughout, and was very unkempt. His hair wasn't quite as long as Leo's but looked thicker, though that could have been due to fact that it wasn't brushed down like our eldest brother's. Raphael's face was strong and hard, like the fighter he was. For him, I had picked out a red shirt with a brown faux-leather jacket over it. I knew it was a style few could pull off, but Raph was able to. He also wore a pair of black jeans with brown work-boots.

Finally, there was Michelangelo. His hair was very wavy, light brown, almost like he had blond highlights, and accented his baby-blue eyes perfectly. He wasn't as tan as Raphael, but more than Leonardo. His overall appearance reminded me of a surfer. His jaw-line was somewhere between Donatello's and Leonardo's. His facial structure in general wasn't harsh, but it wasn't too soft either. He still wore his trademark grin, though. For clothes, he was wearing an orange hooded T-shirt with a pair of khaki shorts and green and white high-top sneakers. He truly looked like the baby of the family, besides me.

"How does it all fit?" I asked, looking over my choices on them. Everything suited them and seemed exactly like something they would wear. I hoped they thought so as well.

"It's great, Amy. Thank you," Leonardo answered. I had to stop myself from casting an odd glance at him. It was so strange hearing his voice coming from this new body. I hoped we would find a way to get them back to normal soon.

* * *

**Yes! I have made them human! And so far, only my co-author and I know who is behind it all. MWAHAHAHA! By the way, I'd like to give credit to my co-author by the name of Ashley. If it weren't for her, I don't think I would have been able to think of half the stuff I need to move any story along. Please R&R.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, I do not own TMNT or any of the characters.**

* * *

"Any luck, Don," I asked, walking up from behind my genius brother. I rested my hands on his shoulders and leaned so my head was next to his, in order to get a better look at the computer screen. It had been almost a week since my brothers had become human.

"Not a clue. I've scanned every part of the lair, but nothing seems to hold any traces of what may have done this to us," he answered.

"Nothing at all? Not even held within the fabric of the couch or something?" Don shook his head.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Raphael called from where he was training with the punching bag. "We can go into the city now. We don't have ta hide. What are we doin' in here, anyway?"

"Raph, we don't know what's happened," I started.

"We're human. Who cares how it happened?"

"Whatever did this to us could have some deadly side effects for all we know. I don't know about you, but I'd like to live," Donatello answered.

At that moment, Michelangelo came skating into the lair on his board, the same grin on his face that he always wore. He circled Raph a few times before going up the ramp to land in front of Don and me. Leonardo also walked out of his room and into the lair, leaping down from the second floor and onto the mats.

"Come on, Amy. It couldn't hurt to go topside for a while," Mikey pleaded, draping an arm over my shoulders. "Besides, it's not like we didn't before this happened. This just makes it easier."

"And what if these possible side effects kick in when you're all alone? Then what," I demanded.

"And what if there _aren't_ any side effects?" I sighed, rubbing my temples. If there was one thing Mikey was great at, it was working a conversation in his favor. "Come on! This is a once in a lifetime chance!" I then found a solution to my problem.

"I don't see why you're asking me, Mikey. I'm not the _leader_."

A frown crossed Leonardo's features at my answer. He knew I was passing the buck; I could tell. I had to keep myself from smiling at his expression. None of us were used to the new faces of my brothers, least of all the expressions they made. It made reading them easier on me, however. So when I saw a smirk and a glint in Leo's eyes, I grew fearful.

"I don't see why not," he said, looking me directly in the eyes. My jaw dropped in surprise before I directed a glare at my eldest brother. I had hoped he would back me up on my position to stay in the lair. After all, if something happened to anyone, Leo would be the first to take on the blame. "If all of us go, then there isn't much danger, now is there? You'll be there so you don't have to worry."

"Fine, but if you guys start feeling funny, we're coming straight home, no questions asked."

"Alright! Topside we go!" Mikey exclaimed, leaping into the air. Raph stopped his training and grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch, shrugging it on. He had a smirk on his face and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

"Can't wait to see Casey's face," he said with a chuckle.

My eyes widened at the realization that we hadn't told our closest friends of the strange transformation of my brothers. We'd spent so much time worrying about _what_ had done this that we hadn't even spoken to Casey and April all week. I hadn't even thought to tell them when I left to buy clothes for my brothers on the first day.

"Uh, maybe we should call first… Give them fair warning," I suggested.

"Nah, they'll be fine."

Raphael's words haunted me the entire walk to April's apartment, where we knew Casey would also be. It was definitely different, walking with my brothers in broad daylight, without any odd stares. In fact, we must have looked just like a normal family, or group of friends. Thankfully, I'd been able to convince my brothers to leave their weapons in the lair. Lord only knew what would happen if people saw a bunch of teenage boys carrying shinobi weapons. We finally arrived at the apartment about ten minutes later.

'Fine' would not be the word I would use to describe Casey and April's reaction to my brothers' new look. Upon opening the door, a confused look crossed April's face as she looked over the young men standing behind me. Her eyebrows scrunched closer together as she tried to think of an explanation as to why I would have brought four strange men to her door. Casey soon came from behind her and a similar expression appeared on his features. Rather than try to think of a reasonable explanation, though, he acted on his first thought.

"Good job, Amy," he congratulated. This, of course, left me confused for a moment. "Just don't tell the guys about your new boyfriends." A flush came across my cheeks, though from anger or embarrassment, I didn't know.

"You little," Raphael yelled and tackled Casey to the ground, wrestling with him.

I groaned and facepalmed myself. I glanced up at my brother and our friend as they continued to fight. Casey looked as if he was truly trying to defend himself from an attacker. Of course, it's hard to defend a ninja like Raph when you're weapon, sports equipment, is not in your possession.

"Five bucks says Casey won't figure it out until after we tell him," I muttered.

"I'll take that bet," Mikey exclaimed, waving his hand.

The expression on April's face obviously showed the shock she was feeling. I assumed she had figured out what had happened to my brothers, or at least had a good estimation. After all, she was one of the most intelligent people I knew. The poor woman looked as if she was going to faint and Don had to hold her steady to be sure she wouldn't fall over. Meanwhile, Casey and Raph were still going at it. Finally, Leonardo stood between them, pulling the two of them apart.

"April! Amy! What're ya doin'? Why ain't you helpin' me out?" Casey demanded.

"Because, nimrod, these are my brothers," I answered in a tone that could have rivaled Raph's when he was angry. Casey stared between my brothers and me in shock, which wasn't all that surprising. I'd figured neither of them would be able to take the news very well, contrary to what Raphael had thought.

"Say wha?!"

"And you're lucky I don't let Raph pound you into the pavement! How _dare_ you think I would be such a-a…"

"Amy, calm down. We don't need _you_ acting like Raph," Mikey said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I sighed through gritted teeth and nodded.

"Right," I muttered. "Then why don't we all take a seat and let us explain what happened, as far as we know."

After I had finished telling the relatively short story, April seemed a bit calmer. Her confused expression was replaced by one of determination. I knew she wanted to figure out exactly what had happened to my brothers. Casey, if anything, looked even more confused. He groaned and put a hand on his head.

"How could it happen," he asked.

"Believe me, I wish I knew," Donny answered.

"Well, why is it a bad thing?"

"That's what _I'm_ sayin'," Raph added.

"It's a bad thing because we don't know how it happened or what it could do to us," Don explained.

"But if ya think about it, it'll be easier to keep your shop going," Casey pointed out.

He was referring to the little electronics workshop Donatello and I had going from within April's antique shop. People could bring anything that needed to be repaired and Don and I could usually have it done in a couple of hours, at a price much less than what most companies would charge. Needless to say, I would be the one interacting with our customers, if April wasn't handling it for me. It was one of the ways our family had managed to make money, other than Mikey's birthday party gig.

Donatello started to say something in protest to Casey's comment, but stopped himself. I glanced in his direction to see that he was thinking it over. I had to admit, Casey was right about the shop being easier to run, but at what cost?

"I say we should give this a shot," Michelangelo voted, raising his hand.

"You would," Leo answered. "But I think I have to agree with Mikey. This might not be as bad as we think." I sighed, realizing the decision would either have a majority rule or be unanimous. Of course, by this time, Don and April were already in an in-dept conversation regarding different substances my brothers could have had contact with to do this to them.

"Might as well," I said, earning a grin from Michelangelo.

* * *

**And, that's the end of this chapter. :D**

**Upcoming: A new character is introduced for the first time. Aka: the guy mentioned in the summary. **

**Please R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Now, we have the introduction of a new character. :D This is so much fun!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own my OCs and this idea.**

* * *

I walked swiftly through the streets of the city, blocking the sun from my eyes with my arm. I was supposed to have met Donny ten minutes ago and I knew it would still be another five to ten minutes before I arrived. Even worse, I was being followed. Every time I used a car's side-view mirror to check behind me, there were two men walking behind me. I wouldn't think much of it, if they didn't have the tattoos of Purple Dragons. It wasn't long before I found two more Purple Dragons walking towards me as well. I was being corralled. I scowled and ducked into an empty alleyway. I could easily rid myself of them, but I didn't want to draw attention to myself by fighting them in the open.

"Looks like you hit a dead end, girl," one of the men said with a dark chuckle. I glared at him and took a fighting stance as they advanced on me.

"Hey," a masculine voice called, gaining the men's attention.

They turned around and I could see a young man about my age. He had messy black hair and looked to be about as tan as Michelangelo. He wore a pair of jeans, brown work-boots and a black sweatshirt. He had a strong facial structure and his jaw was set. I was sure this guy was going to be attacked by the Purple Dragon thugs. I began reaching for my tessen. Much to my surprise the Dragons ran past him and disappeared around the corner. The young man stepped forward, stopping a few feet in front of me.

"You okay," he asked.

"I could've handled them myself," I answered harshly. I wasn't a damsel in distress and I certainly didn't need some stranger playing hero for me.

"That's kind of like a thank you, but different."

I rolled my eyes and brushed past him. Don was still waiting fro me and I needed to hurry if I wanted to meet up with him at a decent time. I knew that black haired boy who 'saved' me was following me, though. I could see him in the mirrors of parked cars. He had his hands behind his head, as if he was just taking a stroll. Finally, I turned to face him.

"Why are you following me?" I demanded.

"I'm not. You just happen to be going to same way I am," he answered with a shrug.

"I'm sure." I turned back around and continued walking, my hands balled into fists at my sides.

"Since we're going the same way, why not make conversation? I'm Gage, and you?" He came to walk beside me, a small smile on his face. He seemed friendly, but I knew all too well that looks could be deceiving.

"Back off, buddy," I hissed.

"You know, a simple 'thank you' would suffice."

"I didn't need your help."

"Those guys were moving in on you. What was I supposed to do? Just leave you there?"

"I could've handled myself."

"And I get that. But I just can't stand around while those idiots prey on people like you," Gage explained. This only flared more anger in me.

"People like me? Are you saying I'm some kind of victim?"

"No, nothing like that. They like to prey on women who are walking alone. I can't just let them do that."

"So, what? Are you expecting me to swoon over you because you supposedly saved my life?"

"No. You're reading me all wrong. I'm merely being a good citizen and gentleman."

"Really? Because it seems like you're stalking me," I retorted. Gage sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt. Thankfully, that was the same moment Donatello came into sight. He was standing in front of an electronics store, looking down at his watch. He then glanced up and waved upon seeing me.

"Amy! There you are! What took you?" he asked as Gage and I approached. "And who's he?"

"My stalker," I muttered. The look in Don's eyes sharpened as he turned his attention towards Gage.

"What?" Gage put his hands up, as if to show he meant no harm.

"That's not it at all. She was about to be attacked by some thugs and I got them off her back," he explained.

"I didn't ask for your help," I interrupted.

"But I gave it anyway. It's part of who I am. Anyway, I was simply walking with her to make sure she got to her destination safely."

"Well, thank you for helping my sister," Don answered, shaking hands with Gage.

"It was my pleasure. She sure is a feisty one."

"Yeah, I'll show you feisty," I muttered under my breath. Donatello merely chuckled in agreement.

"Well, I've got to get going. Goodbye, Amy," Gage said as he walked away, back in the direction we'd come. Donny and I walked off as well, on our way to look for some decent parts for some modifications we were going to make to the Battle Shell.

"What's gotten into you?" Don asked as we walked, draping his arm over my shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Amy. You're acting a lot like Raph. He was just trying to help you out, you know."

"I know, but I'm so tired of having to be protected. You guys have done that more than enough over the years. I'm a big girl and I can handle myself, especially against four Purple Dragon losers. I don't know, maybe I'm just stressed out about all this stuff with you guys," I answered.

"Did you at least thank him for helping you?"

I looked away, unable to meet my brother's eyes. I was starting to realize how childish I had acted. A little courtesy was expected of me and I failed to deliver. Something about that boy, Gage, just got on my nerves. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, though. I took heart in the fact that I'd probably never see him again for the rest of my life.

Apparently the rest of my life only lasted a week. Don and I were both in the back corner of April's antique shop, at the desk where we had our electronics repair shop set up. I was busy helping Donatello with one of our plans for upgrading the Battle Shell when a soft jingling sound could be heard from the front door. I glanced up, only to do a double-take. Walking forward with a small metal box tucked under his arm was Gage, looking as nonchalant as I had seen him a week before.

"Dammit," I muttered as he neared.

"Small world, huh?" Gage asked with a chuckle.

"How can we help you?" Don asked and I inwardly grimaced. Gage held up the metal box in his hand.

"I heard from a few friends that you guys can fix just about anything for fifty bucks. Think you can figure out what's wrong with my car stereo?" From a cursory glance, I could tell that the small radio was one of the latest models, something Donny wouldn't hesitate to look over. Of course, my brother took the device from Gage's hand and began picking at it with his tools.

"Uh… Donny… wait," I began, but sighed in defeat. I knew he was already lost in the technology. Gage began wandering around the antique shop, looking through a few items on display. "Don, don't tinker, just fix it."

"So, about how long do you think it'll take?"

"An hour, tops," Don answered, not even bothering to look up from the radio. Gage nodded and continued walking through the store.

"Don't touch anything. We don't own this shop," I warned harshly. "You know, you don't have to stay here while my brother works. You can come by and pick it up later."

"I've got nothing better to," Gage answered with a shrug and I scowled. Why couldn't he just leave? Things would run so much more smoothly. I glanced in Don's direction to see that he was tinkering with the device, learning as much as he could from it. Groaning quietly, I rested my head on the counter. It was going to be a long hour. Suddenly, I found my escape.

"I just remembered I have to meet up with Raph. I better get going!" I began walking around the counter, but didn't even turn the corner before Don spoke up.

"Raph's at a movie and won't be out for at least a couple hours. You can't possibly be meeting him, Amy," he answered, without even looking up from the stereo in front of him.

"Then it must have been Mike…"

"He's out on a training trip with Leo and you know it. And before you even think of it, Casey and April are out for their anniversary and you don't have any errands to run."

My face fell and I scowled at my older brother, making a mental note to torture him in his sleep the next chance I had. I glanced over at Gage to find him with his head turned and his shoulders shaking with his silent laughter. I sighed and sank into my chair again, resting my head on the counter. I then began plotting my revenge against Donny. I probably start off with something having to do with his bo staff. That would definitely be a good place to begin. I spent the rest of the time working out my plans to torture my so-called genius brother in as many ways possible. Finally, Don pulled away from the stereo.

"All done," he announced with a smile and I resisted the urge to cry out in excitement. Don handed the car radio to Gage, who paid the fifty dollar fee.

"Thanks. Oh, and Amy, next time you might want to think through your escape plan a little better," Gage said before turning to leave. I clenched my hands into fists and bit my tongue. Once he was out the door, I turned to Donny.

"What the shell is wrong with you?" I demanded. "Were your brain cells damaged when you became human?"

"I don't see why you're getting all worked up. He's just another customer," Don answered with a shrug. I glared at him once more before turning back to our plans for the Battle Shell.

* * *

**Poor Amy... This is what happens when you put me up with a co-author as cruel towards characters as me. So, yes, the whole thing with Amy trying to think of a way to get out and then Donny shooting down each attempt, that was Ashley's. She is the most amazing co-author I could ask for. Please R&R.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I finally updated this story. About time, too. lol. Well, here's the next chapter of "Beautiful Disaster". Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amelia, Gage and any other OCs that my come into play.**

* * *

How long had it been since my brothers had become human? A month? A month and a half? Thinking back, I realized that it had been the latter, almost to the day. Since the first day I'd met Gage, I'd seen him every Friday at about noon in the workshop. Each time, he'd come in with something new to be repaired, and each time, I couldn't find a way to get away from him. Don insisted that I give the boy a chance. The first time he told me that, I looked at him like he had two heads… as if his new human body wasn't enough! I somehow managed to avoid talking to Gage, but that didn't mean he'd stop coming. Every Friday, he was there, and every Friday, I would be stuck with him for about an hour. It was once again a Friday and once again, I knew Gage would be coming by. Don was reading through one of his books, hardly paying attention.

"I'll be in the restroom. I'll be right back," I told him and walked around the corner.

Donatello murmured something in acknowledgment and I closed the door to the restroom behind me. I knew there was a vent in there that would allow me to escape. I carefully stood on the lid of the toilet and lifted my hands to remove the vent cover. Before my skin came in contact with the metal, though, I noticed a small flashing green light. Upon closer inspection, I found that there was some kind of sensor as well as faint light beams in the vent. No doubt Donny had set them up to stop me from leaving the shop. I scowled before getting down from where I stood and exiting the restroom. In the middle of the shop, I found Gage looking through the various items April still had on display. He probably knew the whole layout of the store by now.

"How'd it go?" Don asked with a smirk on his lips. I glared harshly at him while he tinkered with the new device Gage had given him to repair.

"Just peachy," I muttered, taking notice of the confused expression on Gage's face. I sat in the stool behind the counter and rested my head on my arms, as I had every time Gage was there. After yet another long hour, Don finally finished the repair job and gave the device back to our customer.

"Amy, why don't you want to give him a chance?" he asked after Gage had left. I stared at him incredulously.

"Hello, shell for brains! He's obviously stalking me! He followed me when I had to meet up with you, he somehow found out I worked here and now he's coming every week with something new to be fixed. Honestly, how much stuff has he broken?! And you're certainly not helping the matter in the least bit! What's with the motion sensors in the vents?!"

"Actually, they were heat sensors."

"Who cares?!"

"Amy, I don't think he's stalking you," Don answered.

"And I think you've lost your mind."

"You know, normally, you don't judge people so quickly. After all, you're the one that chose to stay with Splinter of your own free will."

"And I don't regret a minute of it… and don't change the subject to try and get me to see your way," I answered. Donatello merely shrugged and turned back to his reading, clearly feeling as if he'd proven his point. I hated to admit it, but he had… Sometimes I really hated having such a genius brother.

* * *

A few days later, I decided to blow of some steam the best way I knew how. Raphael had returned a few hours before from a ride on the Shell Cycle and he was always the best when it came to hard-core training. I smirked as I neared him.

"Hey, Raph," I called. "Wanna do some training?"

"D'ya hafta ask?" he retorted and I grinned. Raph was always best when I needed to blow off some steam, and I sure needed it.

We stood on either side of the sparring mat and I got into a defensive stance while Raphael pulled out his sais. How he'd managed to keep those things hidden in broad daylight was beyond me. The next thing I knew, Raph was charging at me with a sai in each hand. I pulled out my tessen and stopped one hand with it. Just as he was about to his me with the other, I did a back-flip and landed a few feet away. I then leapt into the air and landed a firm kick to his chest, knocking him to the mat.

"Trouble balancing without your shell?" I taunted with a smirk.

I knew very well that my brothers were having trouble adjusting to the lack of weight on their backs. I also knew Raphael would want me to use that. Anything that would give me an edge in a battle was always something he wanted me to use. Raphael just chuckled before jumping back to his feet and attacking me again. I ducked from his attack and rolled to the left, laughing all the while. I loved training with Raph. It always made me feel better. We went at it for what seemed like an eternity, until my older brother finally pinned me to the ground, one sai next to my head.

"Got ya again, Ame," he said, though he was panting. Raph stood up and helped me up as well. I wiped the sweat of my brow and grinned at him.

"Yeah, but I could beat any Foot Ninja into next week."

"Won't argue with ya there."

We both started laughing and I sat on the mats with my legs crossed, leaning back on my hands. I never felt better than I did after training with Raphael. I could always just let out all my issues, without ever having to say a word. He probably knew I was upset by something, but he never asked. He just let me work it out of my system and everything would be right with the world again. That was probably why I was so close to Raphael. I didn't have to talk about my problems when I was around him. He just knew.

"Amy, don't forget, you said you were going to do some meditation with me this afternoon," Leonardo called from the upper level of the lair.

"Right. I'll be there in a few," I called and allowed myself to fall to the mats, my back pressed against the ground.

I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply, feeling much better than I had all week. After another minute, I forced myself to get up and walked over to the part of the room Leo was waiting. We both sat on the mats and crossed our legs, closing our eyes. It wasn't long before I was completely at ease, something I hadn't felt in a while. I realized I really needed to meditate more often, as Master Splinter always told me. I was lost within myself, blocking out everything around me. The sounds of Donatello and Raphael in the background were secondary and I barely knew they were there. After hours of this, a loud ringing suddenly snapped me out of my trance. I quickly opened my eyes, only to be bombarded by a painful migraine, and pulled my shell cell out of my pocket. Leonardo's disapproving glance didn't go unnoticed.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"It's alright. That was long enough," he answered and walked away. I glanced down at my phone and saw that Michelangelo was calling. Of course. Just to help ease the pain of my headache, I clicked on the phone and held it to my ear.

"This had better be good, Mikey. I've got a migraine now."

"Meditating with Leo?" he asked.

"I _was_ until you called."

"What did Master Splinter always say about slowly easing back into consciousness?" I could tell Mikey was just doing this to tease me.

"Did you call just to pick on me, or is there a reason for this?"

"I've set you up on a date. Hope that's okay." I completely blanked and it took me a minute to process what he said.

"Wait. What?"

"I set you up on a blind date. You need to get out more, Amy. Besides, I think you'll like this guy."

"No. Absolutely not! What makes you think you can do that, Mike?"

"I had so hoped it wouldn't come to this," he said and I could hear the plotting tone in his voice. I always hated that tone…

"Come to what?" I asked. I almost wished I hadn't.

"You wouldn't want me to tell Donny about those plans you spilled coffee on. Or Raph about the time you lost his sais for a week and I had to keep him busy while you searched the city for them. Or Leo about the time you-"

"You wouldn't dare," I hissed.

"Oh, but dear sister, I would." I groaned at his words. I knew this wouldn't end in my favor. "So, what do you say to the date?"

"Cool," I answered through clenched teeth and pulled the phone away from my mouth, pressing the speaker to my chest so my voice wouldn't carry. "Shit." I put the phone back.

"It's tonight," Mikey added.

"Great." I pulled the phone away again. "Fuck." I heard someone clear his throat behind me and turned to see Master Splinter staring down at me from across the room. I knew I was as good as dead. I chuckled nervously and put the phone back to my ear. "Uh, Mikey, what time is this?"

"At ten. Make sure you look your best."

"Right," I muttered and groaned before shutting off the phone. Things were definitely not going my way.

* * *

**Ah, this is so much fun. lol. Well, I hope you guy are liking the humor in this story. Please R&R.**


	6. Chapter 6

**And here is yet another chapter of "Beautiful Disaster". Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I own the OCs and that's just about it.**

* * *

I turned around to see myself in the mirror, only to scowl at what I saw. I had put on a dark blue, knee-length, halter-top dress. Just under my bust, placed exactly in the middle of the dress was a small silver decoration with a few small beads and sequins. I wore a pair of silver sandals with a small heel and silver hoop earrings to complete the outfit. I pulled my hair back into a tight bun, with a little silver clip to hold it in place. Michelangelo had suggested keeping the silver accents. The only makeup I wore was a little foundation, blush, and eye-shadow that was only a little darker than my natural skin tone. In all honestly, everything I had on complimented my features well and I'm sure whoever my date was would think I looked beautiful. I hated being dressed like that, though, because I was forced into it. I was about to reach for my tessen, when I realized I had nowhere to hide it on my person. A frown adorned my features when I figured out that Mikey had probably planned that. With a sigh, I opened my bedroom door and walked out into the main room of the lair.

"You look great, Amy," Donatello said with a smile upon seeing the disdainful look on my face.

"You had something to do with this. I just _know _it," I muttered, glaring at him. I turned to see Michelangelo on his shell cell and I could only wonder whom he was talking to. As soon as he saw me, he shoved a small silver purse in my hands and I slung it over one shoulder. Checking inside, I saw that he'd put my wallet in it.

"She's running a little late, but she's heading out the door right now, aren't you Amy?" Mikey asked with a smirk. It was then I knew he was talking to my date for the night. I growled under my breath and began walking towards the elevator to the garage top-side.

"Yes, Mikey. I'm going now!" I yelled, trying not to sound too harsh. I knew he was trying to do something nice for me, but it simply wasn't working.

"Huh? Yeah, go ahead and order for her. She'll be there soon."

As I waited for the elevator to bring me to the surface, I began thinking of ways I could escape for a few hours. My brothers were probably going to be patrolling the area, but maybe I could stay with April and Casey. Then again, the two of them were probably in on this as well. The door opened and I saw Raphael leaning against his shell-cycle, two helmets in his hands.

"No. Raph, not you too! I would have thought _you_, of all people, would be as averse to this as I am," I pleaded.

"Mike had a good idea for once," he answered with a shrug and tossed a helmet to me.

I caught it with ease and slipped it on as I mounted the motorcycle, wrapping my arms around my brother's chest. It was strange, not having to hold onto a shell for once. As we rode through the streets of Manhattan, I could only hope the helmet would mess up my appearance a little. After a short ride, we arrived at the restaurant and I reluctantly got off the motorcycle, handing my helmet to Raphael.

"You're not just going to leave me with some guy I've never met before, are you?" I asked, trying my last-ditch effort.

"Ya said yerself ya can beat any Foot ninja inta next week. Ya'll be fine," Raph answered before driving off. I frowned before putting on a brave face and walking into the restaurant.

"How may I help you?" the hostess asked with a peasant smile when she saw me.

"I'm meeting someone here, but, uh, I don't know who he is," I answered quietly. I hated when I didn't have the information I needed.

"Blind date?" the woman asked knowingly. I nodded. "Then I know where you're going. Follow me, Miss Splinterson, is it?"

I blinked a couple times in confusion before I realized what the meaning behind it was. I remembered Donatello using that name when we had traveled into the future. I figured Mikey had decided to use it for me as well, merely because we didn't have an official last name and Hamato would have been a little suspicious. After all, the Foot ninja were still lurking around somewhere. I simply nodded again and the woman led me to a table towards the back of the building. Already, I was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. Being in the back of the building only meant it would be harder to escape if anything went wrong. She brought me to my table and, when I saw who my date was, I wanted to scream. I managed to withhold my anger until after she left, though.

"_You?!_" I hissed, trying not to cause a commotion. The young man across the table from me was none other than Gage. He smirked at me and I glared harshly at him.

"Just how many brothers do you have? And you really shouldn't glare like that. It doesn't suit you," he said.

"Right, and you would know what does."

"You didn't answer my question, Amy."

"If you must know, I have four brothers. Secondly, I'd prefer if _you_ would call me Amelia."

"Why do you dislike me so much?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you've been _stalking_ me for the past month or so."

"Don't you think that's unfair judgment on your part?"

"Do I look like I care?"

"Amy—Amelia, please, just give me a chance."

"You're starting to sound like Don," I muttered.

"Is he the one you work with in that shop?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately."

"I'm really not a bad guy, as much as you don't want to believe that."

"And how can I be sure?" I asked. The expression on Gage's face almost looked hurt.

"I'm sorry you don't feel like you can trust anyone," he said and I frowned.

"And what makes you think I don't?"

"I offered you my help and you acted as if I was the one who attacked you." I glanced away, finding sudden interest in the color of the carpet. I didn't have a witty comeback for that one. Don had pointed out the same thing to me that day, and I knew I had been wrong.

"Whatever," I mumbled.

"Amelia," he whispered gently, resting a hand on mine. I jerked my head up to look at him. "One chance: that's all I'm asking for." I didn't know if it was because that was the _millionth_ time I'd heard that request, or if it was just in the way he'd asked, but I finally sighed and nodded my head. I'd like to think it was to get everyone to shut up about the whole thing.

"Alright. One shot." Gage flashed me a smile.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it," I answered with a smirk, finally acting like my normal self again.

* * *

**Okay, Sol, I know I said there'd be hilarity in this chapter, but I've decided to break the date up into two chapters, so that it doesn't seem a lot longer that the rest of my chapters (otherwise, it'd be twice as long). So, the funny part (and the part where I feel really, really bad for Amy) is next chapter.**

**Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. Please R&R.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I hope you guys enjoy this. I'm having so much fun with this. **

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

* * *

While we waited for our meals to arrive, which Gage had already ordered before I came, the two of us decided to chat a little. Surprisingly, I found myself laughing along with him when he told me stories of things he or his friends had done in the past. Of course, I had no idea who he was talking about, but the idea that anyone older than the elementary level would trip over his own feet and ram a pencil into his hand was just too good to believe.

"Well, I think we've just about exhausted the stories of my friends. Besides, I'd hate to bore you by talking about myself. What about you? What are your brothers like?" Gage asked.

"My oldest brother is probably the most responsible out of all of us. He probably worries the most. My second-oldest is the tough guy. He likes to talk with his fist, which is fine with me. We usually end up wrestling if I'm ever in a bad mood. That quickly makes me feel better. You've already met Don. He's the genius of the family, as you can tell. He's taught me everything I know. And you've already spoken to Mike, if not met him personally. He's a bit of a prankster and he likes to butt into my life, as you can tell," I answered, only giving him the most basic of information on my brothers. The last thing my family needed was someone having our strengths and weaknesses because I got too trusting.

"Sounds interesting. What was it like, growing up with four brothers?"

"Just as you said, interesting." Both of us started chuckling quietly, just as our food arrived. "What did you order for me, by the way?"

"I think you'll like it. All my friends thought it was good when I had them try it. I can't tell you what it is yet, though."

"Why am I suddenly afraid?"

"It'll be fine. Trust me."

"You asked me to give you a chance, Gage, not to trust you," I pointed out with a serious tone, but then started laughing again.

"Alright," he said, chuckling as well, "just trust me on this one thing, then."

I nodded and looked down into brown broth that reminded me of chicken soup. Pooling some of the broth into my spoon, I tried a bit and could taste various spices within it. I couldn't be sure what they were, but they blended well. As I ate, I found pieces of white meat mixed in with the broth and some vegetables. Gage was right. It was delicious. It almost reminded me of a pork soup, but perhaps with some pumpkin spice added to it. That is really the only way I can describe it.

"Alright, so what is it?" I asked when I was halfway done.

"Turtle soup," Gage answered with a smile.

My eyes widened in shock and I gasped loudly; probably too loudly for the small space we were in. I noticed a few heads turning to face me, but I didn't particularly care. I dropped my spoon and it landed with a harsh _clank_ in the bowl as the broth splashed onto the table. I covered my mouth, feeling very sick, and sobbed as I tried to hold back the bile in my throat.

"Oh, God," I whispered hoarsely.

"Amy? What's wrong?" Gage asked, obviously very concerned.

"I… I have to go." I stood up and ran through the restaurant, pushing my way through the door. I felt as if I was going to vomit right there if I didn't hurry and get home. I ran as fast as I could down the street, which certainly didn't help the feeling in my stomach. A car pulled up beside me and I started to run again.

"Amy, wait. Let me give you a ride home. I'm sorry. I had no idea," Gage called, rolling the passenger window down. I swallowed a few times, trying to gain control of my breathing as well as the sickly feeling I had. Nodding once I opened the door to Gage's car and slid into the passenger seat.

"Just go to the antique shop I work in. We live right above it," I told him, my voice shaking. Gage began driving down the road, his fingers tight around the steering wheel.

"Amy, I'm really sorry. If I had known you had something against turtles, I wouldn't have ordered it."

"I-It's alright. How could you have known, right?" I managed to control myself for the rest of the ride to the antique shop, though it was wearing down on my nerves greatly. As soon as the car rolled to a stop, I got out and walked towards the doors of April's shop.

"Amy," Gage said as I reached for the handle. I turned to face him. "I understand if you don't want see me again. But, for what it's worth, I enjoyed spending time with you tonight."

I nodded shakily before walking into the shop and darting across the room to slip out the side door. I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to keep myself under control, as I was sure I was going to be sick at any moment. Climbing down into the city's sewer system, I ran back home as fast as I could in the heeled sandals Michelangelo had suggested I wear. I was sick twice on the way back home, and couldn't stop the horrified tears from falling down my face. I finally made it back to the lair, choking on my sobs and probably looking like a mess.

"Amy!" my brothers all yelled and ran up to check me over. Seeing their concerned faces only sent me into another fit of sobs.

"I'm sorry!" I cried. "I didn't mean to!"

"Amy, what are you talking about?" Leonardo asked as he rubbed my back and led me to sit on the couch. I buried my face in my hands as I sobbed.

"What'd he do to ya?" Raphael asked angrily and I knew he was about to storm out of the lair and kill Gage. I shook my head as I cried.

"Not Gage… I ate… I didn't know!"

"Oh," Donatello breathed and I knew he'd understood.

"What is it, dude?" Mikey asked.

"Amy, did he order for you?" I nodded. "And was it what I think it is?" I nodded once more, trying not to dry heave. The rest of my brothers seemed to understand.

"Aw, man!" Mikey yelled, only to be hit in the head by Raphael. "I mean- It's okay, Amy. We forgive you." This earned him another whack.

"Don't worry about it. We're not blaming you," Leo said in a reassuring tone.

"Yeah, we blame that otha guy," Raph added.

"No. It was an honest mistake." I sighed and pulled away from my eldest brother's embrace.

"Are you okay?" Don asked gently.

"Yeah… I'm just going to lay down now… hopefully settle my stomach," I answered weakly and walked up to my room.

* * *

**Like I said, I feel really bad for doing that... but it added humor. Poor Amy, though. I'm going to try and lighten up on her for next chapter... Hmmm... I'll need to talk to my co-author for some ideas to move this along. lol. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. Please R&R.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'M ALIVE! AND I BRING A NEW CHAPTER! Yes, after months upon months of waiting, I have FINALLY finished chapter eight of this story... Okay, technically, I wrote it in two days, but I never had a way in my head to move it along. I finally came up with something. Anyway, there's not a whole lot in this chapter, but it's one of those 'leading up' type things. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy, Gage and any other OCs that may turn up.**

* * *

A few days later, I'd become more like myself again. I no longer felt sick, nor did I feel as though I owed anything to my brothers. Of course, they insisted that one until their faces were blue, almost literally in Michelangelo's case. I prepared for another average day with my brothers, or as average as one could find with my newly transformed family. I planned to do some weapons training with Raph, some hand-to-hand combat with Mikey, work on my katas with Leo, and possibly get Donny away from his computer long enough for a game of chess. Don was still working on figuring out what had happened to them. There was still no progress. We'd gotten a few leads before, but they all ran cold and we always started back at the beginning. I walked into the main area of our home, the spacious room that had once been a subway station.

"Hey, Amy," Mikey greeted when he saw me, that same grin on his face as always. I smiled back, taking notice of the bed-head he sported. Even through the nearly two months my brothers had been human, there were some things they neglected still.

"Forget to brush your hair again?" I asked, ruffling his hair further with my hand. I jumped over the back of the couch and landed next to him, changing the channel to the morning news.

"Aw, come on."

"Mikey, you are an impulse buyer. You don't need the shopping network on. Besides, I want to see what's going on."

"The same stuff that was going on yesterday."

"Things change quickly, especially in New York. You know that, Mike," I answered with a smile.

'_There's been yet another outbreak of gang activity, particularly by the infamous Purple Dragons,'_ the news reporter said. That caught my attention. Focusing on the television screen, I barely noticed the rest of my brothers gathering around as well.

"What else is new?" Raph muttered. I motioned for him to be quiet as the report continued. The Purple Dragons had been relatively dormant, minus that attempted attack on me. Why were they surfacing again? Hadn't they learned their lesson?

'_I'm here with eye witness Damon Andrews. Can you tell us what you saw last night?'_

'_The Dragons tried to attack my sister. They cornered us in a back alley and came at me with a few weapons. Then, a bunch of figures appeared in the darkness. I couldn't tell who they were, but the Purple Dragons noticed 'em pretty quick. This guy dropped down in front of us. He was wearing all black. Looked like he could control the Dragons because they backed off after only about a minute. Then, the figures disappeared too. That's when my sister and I got out of there,'_ Damon explained. I looked up at my brothers with a frown.

"Foot Clan?" I wondered aloud.

"Why would they just be protecting people like that, though? They've never cared before," Donny answered.

"Karai had a change of heart," Mikey offered jokingly. Leo threw him a harsh stare, quickly silencing him.

"Mikey, Karai took the Foot Clan to Japan," my eldest brother said.

"Then who are these guys?"

"It's none of our concern."

'_There seems to be another gang on the rise as well. They're symbol appears to be a three-pronged flame,'_ the reporter continued. The image of the Foot Clan's symbol appeared on the screen catching us all by surprise. _'There have been no sightings of this gang as of yet, but their work has been seen. It seems they are composed of skilled fighters, rather than street punks, like the Purple Dragons. There have been cases of CEO assassinations, with very little evidence left behind. So far, there have only been two cases where anything has been found that may lead to this gang.'_

"Murders," I mumbled. "I mean, I know the Foot Clan consists of ninjas and ninjas were originally trained for assassinations, back in the day, but… dang."

"This is… unusual. Why would the Foot Clan kill someone one day and then, as it would seem, protect someone else the next evening?" Don asked.

"Whatever the reason, we shouldn't interfere," Leo answered.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked incredulously, turning to face my eldest brother. "If this is Karai's doing, then wouldn't that be going against her truce with us? Didn't she say she'd stay in Japan?"

"She never actually said those words."

"So?! It was implied!"

"Not really," Don answered and I glared at him.

"Alright, but I still think we should check it out."

"We have a truce with the Foot Clan. They aren't going to be attacking us," Leo responded, walking away.

"You're just going to walk away?" I demanded. "There are people being _killed_ and you're just going to walk away?"

"There's nothing we can do."

"But there _is_. Leo, we've protected people before, in the shadows. We can still do that."

"What's the point? If we attack them, we'll break the already shaky truce we have with them. Then they'll begin attacking us again. We'll lose the security we've had for the past four years." I bit the inside of my lip and stared up at my older brother. The expression on his face showed me that he wasn't willing to risk our family for a hunch. I had to admit, I didn't want to do that either, but I didn't feel as if this could go ignored.

"What if that's their plan? To try and lure us out so they _can_ attack us?"

"All the more reason to stay away."

"You mean to tell me we're just going to hide like a bunch of cowards?"

"What's gotten into you, Amy? You used to think these things through more."

"I don't like the idea of people being _killed_. It's bad enough the Purple Dragons are back on the rise, but they're idiots. They're easy to beat back into submission. If the Foot is back, it'll be harder to keep the Dragons in check. Don't you see?"

"Forget it, Amelia. We're not going," Leonardo answered with a tone of finality. His use of my full name caught me by surprise. Rarely had he ever done that. I scowled and stood abruptly, causing Mikey to stare up at me. I leapt over the back of the couch and made a beeline for the door.

"I'll be out," I muttered.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

Running out of the lair, I quickly made it to the nearest manhole leading to an alley. As soon as I was topside, I began climbing a fire escape. Being on the rooftops of the buildings was always comforting to me. It probably came from all the night-runs I went on with my brothers. Now, in broad daylight, I sat on the edge of the roof and stared out into the endless city. I was still dressed in my kimono-style top and sleek black pants. I couldn't run across the rooftops, as I knew I'd be quickly seen. It wasn't long before I could hear the sound of footsteps from behind me, coming up the fire escape. I glanced behind me to see Raphael. I sighed and turned back to the cityscape before me. Raph sat beside me, one leg hanging off the edge of the building and the other bent with his arm resting on the knee.

"Came up here, eh?" he asked.

"Leo send you?" I retorted.

"Ya think I'd listen ta 'im?"

"If it had to do with keeping an eye on me, yes." Raph scoffed and chuckled softly. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"We never know with ya."

"Oh, gee, thanks, Raph."

"Anytime, Ame." I rolled my eyes and looked to another, nearby building. There, I could see a large group of people dressed in black gathered there. My brow furrowed as I slowly stood, trying to see if I could get a better look. "See somethin'?"

"It's… the Foot Clan," I murmured.

"In broad daylight? Gettin' bold, ain't they?"

"Let's check it out."

"Ya crazy?"

"What? Are you actually following Leo's orders for once? Look, I don't want to fight them. I just want to ask them a few questions. Think of it as… negotiations. Now come on."

I ran off the edge of the building we were on, Raph close behind, and leapt to the next one. I did the same until we were on the same rooftop as the Foot ninjas. As soon as I landed on the roof, they all turned to face my brother and me. Raph moved to stand slightly in front of me, ready to block any attack, should one come. I knew they wouldn't dare attack us unless we did so first. Surely _that_ was part of our treaty. I was proven wrong when the ninjas all pulled out their weapons and began charging at Raphael and me.

* * *

**Like I said, leading up. lol. Hope you liked the latest installment. Please R&R.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Two chapters in a twenty-four hour period... I've got some steam rolling! Alright, well, enjoy the latest chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters.**

* * *

"Oh shell," I muttered as the Foot ninjas charged at my brother and me.

Raph's sais were out in a second, in front of him and ready to defend himself. How could this be happening? What happened to the truce between us and the Foot Clan? We hadn't meant them any harm. Then, it hit me. Raph no longer looked like a turtle. He was human. They wouldn't recognize him, if they were the same Foot Clan we'd faced before. I stepped in front of my brother, my arms spread out.

"What're ya doin'?" Raph demanded.

"We're not here to fight!"

"Too bad," one of the Foot ninja answered, raising a battle ax. Raph shoved me to the side.

"What happened to our truce?" I demanded.

"We have no truce with you, girl." This voice belonged to another ninja. I scowled and drew out my tessen.

"My name is Amelia Hamato. Your leader made a truce with my family!"

"He did no such thing!"

The Foot Clan certainly was chatty all of a sudden. Normally, they'd all been silent, unless you count the grunts in pain when my brothers and I took them down. I _did_ take notice of the pronoun used. The ninja had said 'he', not 'she'. Could it mean they had a different leader, someone other than Karai? But then, why wouldn't the truce stand firm? It didn't make any sense. Besides, if these ninja didn't recognize my brothers as turtles anymore, why did they still insist on attacking us? The Foot never sought a battle like this before. There was always reason, always honor, in their own twisted way. A pair of fingers snapped and the ninjas stopped their attack as suddenly as they had begun. The crowd spread like Moses parting the Red Sea, revealing yet another ninja. This one, rather than wearing a black ensemble, wore a dark gray. It would have looked black in any less lighting. I saw his chest move at a sudden intake of air, almost like a gasp. The man made a few hand motions and the Foot Clan disappeared, the man along with them. He seemed to be the leader of that pack, though I couldn't be sure if he led the entire Foot Clan.

"What the _shell_ was that all about?" Raphael demanded from behind me. I turned around to see him with a large gash in his right shoulder.

"Raph!" I screamed and kneeled beside him, quickly examining his wound.

It was deep and would need to be treated soon, or else he'd lose too much blood. Pulling his faux-leather jacket off of him, I tried to create a makeshift tourniquet. While I pressed my hand firmly on his shoulder, causing him to cringe and struggle to hold back a string of profanities, I pulled my shell cell out of my pocket and called Donatello.

"Hello," my brainy brother answered.

"Donny, I need your help! Bring your med-kit!"

"Amy, calm down. What's going on?"

"We were attacked. Raph's hurt, real bad. Please, hurry, Donny."

"I'll be there soon. Where are you?"

"On a freaking rooftop! All I know is it's near April's shop. Use the tracker on the phone if you have to!"

"Ame, chill out," Raph said, clenching his teeth tightly.

"You idiot, you're not a mutated turtle anymore! You don't heal as quickly as you used to. You get hurt just as easily as I do now!"

"I'll be there in a few. Just, keep the bleeding to a minimum," Don said and hung up the phone. I put mine back in my pocket and applied more pressure to Raphael's wound. It was long, most likely from that battle ax that came at me. That's when I realized it. He'd gotten this wound protecting me, just like he always did. I groaned quietly as tears slowly began stinging my eyes. I was so… useless!

"Ame, yer freakin' out more than me an' _I'm_ the one that got hurt," Raph said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Of course I'm freaking out. You're bleeding."

"It's just a scratch."

"Don't think I'm going to start quoting Monty Python with you," I answered sternly. Not even a minute later, Donatello had arrived, med-kit in hand. His eyes widened and I saw the absolute shock on his features when he saw the condition Raphael was in.

"What the shell happened here?" he asked.

"I'll explain everything. Just, hurry up and fix Raph's shoulder."

Don knelt beside me and I finally took my hands off the wound. My brother's blood covered my hands, staining them a deep red. I hated the sight of it. Don moved quickly, sterilizing the wound, numbing it, suturing it up. Most of which causing our older brother to cringe and try not to yell out in pain. Raph never liked to admit when he was hurt. For him to be reacting to Donny's treatment of a wound so much, it must have been painful. Once Don was done, he turned to me.

"That should be good. You want to tell me what happened to him?" he asked.

"I was up on the roof of April's shop, just to clear my head. Raph came after me. I saw some Foot ninjas here and I just wanted to find out what was going on. I didn't want to fight them. When the started to attack, I figured it was because they didn't recognize Raph. So, I stood in front and told them who I was, and about the treaty. They don't know anything about it and continued to attack. Raph pushed me out of the way and that's how he got that wound. Then, the leader of the pack just ordered them to disappear," I explained, my voice a bit shaky.

The idea that the Foot Clan was not only back in full force, but attacking anyone, scared me. There were a few who left the Foot, though still carried the name, that had remained in New York. Those select few believed themselves to be outside the truce, so they never had a problem going after my family. Of course, we'd beat them all back into submission again and again. They were just stragglers, nothing to truly worry about. Now, the Foot Clan was back, probably reaching the numbers they had before. They seemed to have little honor, didn't know much in the way of stealth, but were more skilled than the ones we had faced. Whoever was leading them had been putting them through more rigorous training. They would be harder to take down. I shuddered at the thought.

"Let's get Raph home. You'll have to explain this to Leo," Don said, interrupting my thoughts. I groaned quietly.

"Great," I muttered. "He's going to kill me." I helped Raph up, careful of his right arm, and we all began our way back home.

* * *

**Yeah, Amy's not going to enjoy explaining that to Leo... lol. Please R&R.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Man, I'm on a roll with this story. I don't know what happened all of a sudden, but I like it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amelia and Gage.**

* * *

"You did _what_?" Leonardo demanded once I'd finished explaining what happened.

"I wasn't trying to pick a fight, just get some answers," I answered in my defense.

"Answers? To what? How to get your brother killed?"

"Thanks for the bout of confidence, Leo. I was _trying_ to figure out what was going on in those twisted minds of theirs. I think I found out something more important than that, though."

"Enlighten me."

"I don't think it's the same Foot Clan we've faced before. These guys don't fight the same." This seemed to catch Leo's attention better than anything else I'd tried.

"What's different about their fighting style?"

"The style itself, nothing. It's better, but the same stuff we've seen before. What I mean is, they don't seem to have any honor anymore. I mentioned our truce and they didn't even blink. I think something's up. Besides, they said their leader was a man, not Karai."

"Maybe Karai passed it on to someone else… or bit the dust," Mikey offered. Leo and I both glared at him. This wasn't exactly the best time to be joking around.

"Either way, Raph's out of commission," Donatello interrupted.

I could hear a growl from my second-eldest brother. He always resented the idea of being incapable of fighting. I glanced his way and frowned, tears stinging my eyes again. I'd done that to him, put him in that condition. I closed my eyes and turned away, walking towards my room. A hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, forcing me to stare into Leo's eyes. He must have seen my tears because his expression softened considerably.

"I screwed up again," I muttered. "And this time Raph got hurt because of it."

I always made some kind of mistake whenever we faced the Shredder. It never failed. The first time we faced him, I lost focus for a second and he put two gashes in my left upper-arm. The second time, it was in my right arm. Both of those had left long-lasting scars that I usually tried to hide. Why Gage hadn't mentioned them on our date was beyond me. Now, we were facing a new Foot Clan and I messed up, this time resulting in Raphael being injured. He was unable to fight. Leo pulled me close and I rested my forehead on his shoulder. Now that he was human, he was taller than me by about a half a foot. Mikey was closest to my height, only being an inch or two taller.

"Amy," Leo started. I pulled away, shaking my head.

"Don't tell me anyone could have made the same mistake, Leo. I screwed up, just like I always do." I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost time to open the shop. "I have to get the shop going. I'll be back in a few hours."

I went up to my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a black tank top, throwing on a red hoodie over it. After slipping on a pair of sneakers, I cut through the lair and out into the sewer system. By the time I made it to April's antique shop, I felt somewhat better. My eyes had dried and I could focus on anything that happened to be brought in for me to fix. I didn't need Donatello's help for most of the things that came in. I knew the ins and outs of most of those appliances so well, I could almost fix them in my sleep. When the front door's bell jingled, I was more than a little surprised to see Gage entering. After our date, he seemed as though he was afraid to come near me again. I smiled softly as he approached.

"Good afternoon, Gage," I greeted. My friendly hello seemed to throw him for a loop because he stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked a few times in surprise, but then smiled and walked up to the counter.

"You're not mad at me?" he asked.

"No. It was an honest mistake." I almost cringed at my own words. I cleared my throat before continuing. "What's broken this time?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you. But, I have an unfixable mini-TV, if you want to take a whack at that."

"Unfixable? You underestimate my abilities. Or, if I have to, I'll call Donny in to take a look at it and it'll be running before you know it." Gage chuckled and walked outside, returning only minutes later with a small, black television in his hands. I took it from him and began looking inside it as Gage sat on the other side of the counter.

"I take it you aren't going to be giving me the cold shoulder anymore?" Gage inquired with a chuckle.

"Not unless you want me to," I answered, smiling softly. I had to admit, it was very easy to talk to Gage. Our date a few nights before had opened me up to the idea of branching out. Maybe Mikey was right about this… but I'd never tell him that. It'd inflate his ego too much. Gage laughed and watched as I continued to work on his busted television.

"So, would you be willing to give me another chance? You can pick the place this time." I looked up from my work, my eyes wide. A smile crossed my features and I pushed my hair behind my ear, an old habit while I worked.

"I'd like that. How about tomorrow night? Meet me here when the shop closes and I'll take you to one of my favorite places."

"It's a date. How's the TV look, mechanical genius?"

"That's Donny. I'm the apprentice. And this is far from unfixable. Who told you it was?"

"Every place I've brought it to."

"They're just not as skilled as my brother and me," I answered with a smirk. I pulled out a drawer to my left, grabbing a few parts that to replace the busted ones in the television. After putting them in, I closed up the device and passed it across the table to Gage. "There you go, sir. Good as new… except for those scratches in the plastic, but that's your own doing." Gage laughed and took the television from my hands, paying me the fifty dollar fee.

"See you tomorrow, Amy," he said and left. I put the money in the register and smiled to myself. It never ceased to amaze me how a day could turn from bad to good so quickly.

* * *

**Hmmm... nothing much to say here. Please R&R.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yes, another chapter done. I know, it took me forever to start writing this story again. And now that I have, I can't stop... However, I'm also working on a couple of other stories at the same time... but I just can't stop writing this one. Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy and Gage.**

* * *

The next evening, I stood in front of the small mirror in my room, making sure I had everything I needed. Wallet? Check. Cash? Check. Tessen? Check. I looked down at my outfit and smiled. I was much more comfortable in this than what Michelangelo had chosen for me before. I now wore a pair of good jeans with a long-sleeved, black shirt and a pair of black sandals with a wedge about an inch high. My wallet was in my back pocket and I kept my tessen in the small holster I had on my belt. My attire was casual, but still nice enough to show I was going on a date. This didn't go unnoticed by my brothers when I walked through the lair. Honestly, there is just no sneaking past a bunch of ninjas. Especially when those ninjas are your brothers.

"Where are you going, Amy?" Donatello asked, turning away from his computer. I cringed slightly. I knew I wouldn't have been able to sneak past, but that didn't stop me from hoping for a miracle.

"Uh, just going out. No big deal," I answered.

"The last time you said you were going out, Raph nearly lost an arm."

"Don't remind me."

"So, where are you going?"

"If I tell you, you can't tell Raph… or Mikey."

"Alright," Don answered somewhat uneasily and I sighed softly.

"I'm going out with Gage. Now, can I go? I'm going to be late if we keep talking." Donny's eyes widened in surprise and I groaned. I should have known better. Perhaps it would have been better if I made something up. Then again, one of them would have found out anyway.

"But I thought-"

"No time to explain Donny. Just, please, don't tell Raph or Mikey."

"Raph I can understand, but why not Mikey."

"He doesn't need another ego-boost. Think he's bad now, this'll make him insufferable. Now, I'll see you later. If they ask where I am… make something up," I answered and ran out the door. The antique shop would be closing soon and I needed to be there before it did. Just as I came to the front door of the shop, Gage pulled up in his car.

"Where to?" he asked, rolling down the window.

"It's within walking distance," I answered. "But you can park your car right around the corner." Gage nodded and drove around the corner, returning on foot only moments later. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a white shirt with a brown jacket over it and a pair of brown boots.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"One of my favorite places to eat. They have some of the best steaks you can find."

"You're a carnivore, huh?"

"Raph and I fight over the last slice of Meat Lover's pizza."

"One of your brothers, I'm guessing."

"Yeah." I mentally cringed at using Raph's name aloud like that. After all, his was the most unusual of my brothers'. Leo, Don and Mikey are all relatively common names. You never hear 'Raph' anywhere and if there's a new Foot Clan, they may have heard of my brothers.

"Sounds like fun," Gage said with a chuckle. "What's he like?"

"Raph's, uh, trying out a new look, actually. He's the tough-guy of the family, so he's pretty much dressing as such," I answered.

Looking around, I smiled as we came to our destination. Upon entering the diner, it was obvious to see this was a little-known place. I found that odd, considering how good the food was, but I figured it was probably a good thing they never got too busy. Gage and I entered the restaurant and were led to a table near one of the windows. Our waiter took our drink order and walked off.

"I've never heard of this place," Gage said, glancing around the room.

"Not many people have," I answered.

"How did you come across it?"

"Oh, I don't know. I've been going here so long, I forgot. It was probably one of the times I was looking for something other than pizza to eat."

"I take it your brothers like pizza."

"You should see Mikey ordering it. It gets pretty funny at times."

"Don't your parents do something about it?"

"We live with our adoptive father and that's it. And do you have any idea how hard it is to keep four boys in check with everything else he has to do? He's taught us discipline. It's been engraved into our brains. However, whenever given the chance, my brothers will break loose."

"And you?"

"Where they go, I go. I've always been a tomboy."

"I don't see you as the 'playing in the mud' type of girl," Gage commented.

"No. I was more of the 'picking fights with losers' type of girl," I answered with a laugh as the waiter returned to take our orders.

Once he had, he left once more and Gage and I continued talking. By the end of the evening, I found myself extremely at ease with him. He escorted me back to April's shop after we'd finished eating and I couldn't help but glance around to make sure my brothers weren't around. As I'd stated before, Mikey didn't need to know he was right about Gage. And I knew Raph would kill him if he found out. At the door to April's store, I turned to Gage with a smile.

"I take it I did good this time," he said with a smirk and I laughed.

"Funny-guy. I must ask, are you this sarcastic with your friends?"

"Are you this sarcastic with your brothers?"

"Touché," I answered and gave him a loose hug. "I had a great time." When I pulled away, Gage put a slip of paper in my hand with his phone number on it. "Oh. I don't have anything to write with."

"I didn't expect you to," he answered and pulled out a pen from his jacket pocket. I took the pen and wrote the number to my shell cell on the back of his hand. When I was done, I gave him the pen back.

"See you later," I said and entered the antique shop. Gage walked away to get his parked car, a grin on his face. He was obviously pleased with the turnout of tonight's date. With a chuckle, I left the shop through the side door and made my way home. When I arrived, I was greeted by an unpleasant sight.

"Oh Amelia, where have you been?" Mikey asked with a cruel, knowing smirk on his lips.

* * *

**And here we go again. XD I just have too much fun writing this stuff. Please R&R.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Anybody who has this on their alerts list must be surprised by my sudden activity... Anyway, I got another chapter done. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy and Gage.**

* * *

You know that deer-in-the-headlights look everyone talks about? Well, I'm pretty sure that was how I looked when faced with my four older brothers as I entered our home. I bit my lip and inwardly cringed as Raph and Leo stared me down. Mikey's evil, evil grin was wide and Donatello stood there, staring at the floor. When my eyes landed on him, I glared harshly.

"I thought you weren't going to tell them!" I yelled.

"He didn't," Leo answered sternly before I could lunge at Donny.

"Then how-"

"We're your brothers, Amy," Mikey answered. "Of course we're going to be watching over you." The realization hit me and my eyes widened.

"You _followed_ me? You _spied_ on me?"

"Merely as a precaution." The expression on his face made it obvious that he was enjoying this greatly. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen any of my brothers, or noticed them while I was walking with Gage. What kind of ninja was I?

"Why did you want to hide it from us?" Leo asked.

"Because right now, Raph looks like he'd kill someone if his arm wasn't hurting… something tells me he'd still try," I answered apprehensively.

All eyes went to the tannest of my brothers. The rage on his face was clear. I was pretty sure he wasn't angry because I'd gone out with Gage. He probably couldn't have cared less about that. He was most likely angry because of what happened _last _time, with the turtle soup incident. After all, Raphael hated the idea of anyone in his family being hurt, least of all me. It probably killed him to see me in such a state and him being unable to do anything about it.

"Thought ya'd learned afta the first time," he muttered and I grimaced.

"Well, uh, Gage isn't really that bad of a guy." As soon as the words left me, I clamped my hands over my mouth. Those were the last words I needed to say.

"I _knew_ it!" Mikey yelled. "I was right!" To say he was excited would have been the understatement of the year. I was surprised he wasn't bouncing off the walls yet. I groaned quietly while he cheered. Michelangelo wouldn't let this one go for a while. And we thought the 'Battle Nexus Champion' thing was bad…

"When do we get to meet him?" Leo asked, catching me off-guard. I jerked my head up to stare at him.

"You're kidding, right?" I responded. The stern look in my eldest brother's eyes was enough of an answer. I sighed in defeat. "I don't know… after Raph decides not to kill him."

"That could take a while," Mikey answered with a laugh, only to be punched in the shoulder by Raph. "OW!"

"Ya earned that one," Raphael answered.

"You don't have to hit me!" I rolled my eyes at my brothers' antics.

"Don, did you even try to make anything up?" I asked.

"By the time they came to me, they already knew," he answered with a nervous smile. I frowned and began walking towards my room.

"When's he coming to meet us all?" Mikey called, in the process of running away from Raph.

"I don't know."

"How about tomorrow?"

"No!" I yelled. "Are you crazy?"

'_I'm live in front of the new Biotech Lab, where police have surrounded the building in an attempt to capture a group of burglars. It seems to be the activity of the new gang that has been on the rise in New York,'_ the news reporter said on the television. My attention turned straight to the screen. The Foot Clan stealing from a Biotech Lab? What was going on here?

"This doesn't make any sense," Don mumbled.

"We should check this one out. Something's not right here," Leo answered. I smirked to myself, glad my eldest brother was going to take some action on this.

"Well, you guys are already dressed for the night," I said, referring to the clothes I had found for them only a week before.

They were black suits that were perfect for any ninja. All they needed was to put on their masks and they'd be ready. I, on the other hand, was not able to go with them. The clothes I wore would have restricted my movement and I didn't have time to change. I would have to remain in the lair. Of course, Raphael would as well. His injury prevented him from fighting, or moving his right arm much, for that matter.

"Raph, you stay here with Amy," Leo ordered.

"Ya're jokin'," Raphael retorted.

"You need to give your arm time to heal. Besides, we're going to try to _avoid_ an attack. You'll stay here with Amy and Master Splinter."

"Your brother is right, Raphael," Master Splinter answered as he entered the room. "You are in no condition to be fighting. Let your brothers go."

Raph growled under his breath, but nodded nonetheless. Leo, Don and Mikey quickly left the lair and I sat on the couch, watching the news report. Raph sat beside me while Master Splinter took his place in the reclining armchair we'd had for years. Nothing changed on the screen. The report went on, but nothing happened. There weren't any fights, or explosions. That was always a plus. I watched as Raph's hand balled into a fist and I lightly rested my hand on his.

"They'll be fine," I told him, tearing my attention away from the television screen.

A deep scowl was on my brother's face and his dark eyebrows were furrowed in frustration. He wanted to be there, in case anything happened to the others. In all honesty, I would have wanted to be there as well. I was just like Raph when it came to the protection of my brothers: fierce and willing to do anything. He knew this and his features softened slightly. I turned my attention back to the television screen, my hand still resting on Raphael's closed fist. The second my eyes turned to the screen, it was lit up by an explosion that seemed to stop my heart. The Biotech Lab had been destroyed and firefighters were being called in to put out the flames. My hand left Raphael's and clamped over my mouth as I stared at the screen with wide eyes. The world seemed to stop moving entirely.

* * *

**I know... the dreaded cliffhangers that authors can't live without... I love this chapter-ending so much, though. It was calling to me. lol. Anyway, please R&R with what you think.**


	13. Chapter 13

**The cliffhanger has been answered. I think I wrote this in about an hour... Man, I'm just on a roll with this. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy and Gage.**

* * *

The blazing inferno on the television screen lit up the darkness around us. Flames licked the night sky, forming billowing black clouds that blocked out the stars and the lights from other buildings. Nothing but that conflagration was visible, but for the burning outline of the building. I began trembling as the image of Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo trapped within that building filled my mind. I could see it clearly in my mind. They'd be knocked unconscious, trapped beneath something… or already dead. Each gruesome image passed through my mind as tears formed in my eyes.

Michelangelo… dead as the flames licked the air around him, his light brown hair waving slightly from the movement of the hot air. His eyes are wide in fear, as that was the last expression he had on his face before losing his life. His body is splayed haphazardly across the linoleum floor, a pool of blood surrounding him.

Donatello… trapped beneath some large piece of machinery. He's unable to move, unable to wedge the machine off himself. The panic in his caramel eyes is as clear as day and his soft facial features are contorted in pain and suffering. The bo staff is just barely out of his reach, leaving him without any means of escape.

Leonardo… unconscious from the explosion, after being hit in the head by a blunt object. The head-wound leaves a trail of blood running down his forehead, or across his closed eyes. His expression is the calmest, as he is the only one peaceful. His twin katanas lay just inches away from his limp hands as Donatello screams out for anyone to help, for Leo to awaken.

A shudder ripped through my body as I try to rid myself of these pictures. I began sobbing into my hands, shaking my head in disbelief. This couldn't have been happening. They couldn't be dead. They just…couldn't. I felt an arm wrap over my shoulders and I was pulled into a tight hug. I cried on Raphael's chest, dampening his red t-shirt. He was unable to easily wrap his right arm around me, so he sufficed by gently rubbing his left hand up and down my arm in an attempt to soothe me. I could feel him trembling, though with tears or anger I didn't know. I didn't look up to find out. It was only when I felt a few wet drops land on the top of my head that I knew he was crying. Raph never cried, unless he felt his family was in jeopardy. This certainly qualified.

"I'll kill 'em," he growled angrily, his hand squeezing around my upper arm.

"My sons," Master Splinter whispered, sadness lacing his voice. At that exact moment, the infernal beeping of my shell cell invaded our silence. I yanked it out of my pocket and turned it on, ready to curse whoever was unfortunate to be on the other end of the call.

"Dude! Do you see that?! That could have been _us_!" Mikey's voice yelled in the background, a higher pitch than usual. He'd recently been scared half to death.

"Quiet down, Mikey," Don reprimanded. His voice was closer to the speaker and I could assume it was his phone. I gasped and pulled away from Raphael's embrace. This surprised him and he looked at me with confused eyes.

"Oh my God! They're alive!" I cried, new tears falling from my eyes.

"We're all accounted for. We're a little banged up, but still good. I think you were right about this new Foot Clan. Things just don't add up with them."

"Just hurry home."

"They're okay?" Raph asked. I nodded excitedly, rubbing the tears from my eyes. I could hear Master Splinter sigh in relief. He rested a hand over his chest and I wondered just how much more of this his old heart could take.

"We'll be back in a few minutes. Don't worry," Don answered and hung up the phone. I closed my own and replaced it in my pocket.

"They're okay. They made it out in time," I whispered, my voice breaking. "This stuff needs to stop happening to us."

"Are they injured?" Master Splinter asked.

"Don said they're a little banged up, but I don't think it's anything serious. It doesn't sound like it was. Mikey sounded scared, but that's because they nearly blew up with that building."

Minutes later, Leo, Don and Mikey were in the doorway and I ran up to hug all of them at once. Don cringed slightly and I could guess he was sore from whatever battle they'd engaged in. Leo had a slight limp in his step, along with a few scratches on his face. Mikey was scratched up as well, holding one hand over a wound on his upper arm. Don was walking stiffly and it looked like his left eye was bruised.

"Hey, Amy, don't cry," Mikey whispered, his hand resting on my back.

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again. I thought you were dead."

"What happened?" Raph asked, walking up from behind me. I pulled away from my brothers and looked back at him, noticing the wet spot from where I'd cried. Wiping my eyes again, I took a deep breath, thanking every higher power I could think of for my brothers' safety. Don walked stiffly towards the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer.

"We got into a fight and got our shells handed to us," he answered, putting the ice pack over his bruised eye. It would be worse by morning. Grabbing Mike by the arm, I led him into the kitchen and sat him at the table while I pulled out a med-kit from the cupboard.

"Raph, can you help Leo to the couch? He's favoring his left leg," I asked and began undoing the buttons on Mikey's shirt. He shrugged it off and I began disinfecting his wounds with rubbing alcohol. He winced in pain and hissed a breath. Once done cleaning the cut, I rubbed a soothing ointment on it before covering it with gauze and wrapping some bandages around it. As I did this, Raphael led Leonardo to the couch and helped him down.

"What happened ta yer leg, Fearless?" Raph asked.

"Just hurt," our eldest brother answered. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure you don't need any treatment for it?" I asked, closing the medical kit I'd used for Michelangelo.

"I'm fine. Amy, you were right. That's not the same Foot Clan we've faced before."

"Normally I'd pull out an 'I told you so' but let's just worry about your injuries first."

"We're all going to be sore tomorrow," Donny muttered, sitting at the kitchen table with the ice-pack still over his eye. I gently ruffled his dark brown hair and kissed his forehead.

"You'll live," I said with a slight smirk. Don chuckled and swatted my hand from his head. "You guys could have been hurt a lot worse. I'm glad the worst injury was Mikey's arm."

"We're just lucky Donny saw the bomb," Michelangelo answered.

"Was it planted there before you guys arrived, or after?"

"Before. I think they were planning on stealing the information they needed and then destroying the building," Leo answered.

"That doesn't make any sense? Who are these Foot imposters? No way would any _real_ squad of the Foot Clan blow up a building without reason." I stopped for a moment to think of what I'd just said. "Listen to me. I'm defending the honor of the Foot!"

"At least they _had_ honor. These guys are just… highly trained street punks."

"I ain't likin' this," Raph said.

"My children, I fear you will soon be facing a greater adversary than even the Shredder," Master Splinter said solemnly. The room fell into silence.

* * *

**Aw, man. What have I gotten myself into with that line?! Well, I guess I'll find out. Please R&R.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy and Gage.**

* * *

Only three days after the explosion, word of this so-called Foot Clan was spreading quickly. It was so strange, considering the Foot always tried to remain in secrecy. At least, the _real_ Foot Clan tried. This 'new' one was just as Leo had said, composed of highly-trained street punks. They didn't seem to know where we were, or else they would have already tried to attack us in our home. That would have been a disaster. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard Michelangelo scream loudly. Looking up from my book, which I'd had trouble focusing on, I saw Raphael chasing the youngest of my brothers around the lair.

"Get back here, Mikey!" Raph yelled. I rolled my eyes with a sigh, marking the page in my book and standing up.

"Raph, stop running around like that. You'll hurt yourself," I called. I was getting tired of this happening all the time. "Mikey, what did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything!" he answered.

"Which is why Raph is chasing you down, right?"

"I might have accidentally hit his bad arm."

"Might have?" I asked. "Accidentally?" I sighed softly as Mikey hid behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I planted myself firmly on the floor and put my hand out to stop Raph, only touching his left shoulder.

"Let me at 'im, Ame!" he yelled.

"Beating him up isn't going to help your arm, Raph. Go sit down and relax for a little while. The more you strain your shoulder, the longer it'll take to heal." Raphael grumbled something and walked past me, but not before landing a punch on Mikey's arm.

"OW!" the youngest cried out, clamping a hand over where Raph had hit him. Of course, he'd been hit on the wound I'd fixed only a few days before. "Amy!"

"I don't want to hear it, Mikey," I interrupted. "Where are Leo and Don?"

"Leo's trainin' and Don's on 'is computa," Raph answered as he plopped onto the couch, turning on the television.

I sighed softly. Of course they were. The two of them didn't know the meaning of the word 'rest' sometimes. I figured I'd get Leo first, since he was probably straining himself more than Don. Making my way up to the second level of our home, I knocked on Leo's bedroom door before slowly opening it. Leonardo liked to use his room as a personal dojo whenever the rest of us were doing something else downstairs. When I opened the door, I could see my eldest brother working on a kata. Of course, he was putting all his weight on his left leg.

"Leo," I whispered softly, making sure not to startle him out of his concentration.

Leo had always had the most focus of us all and was completely unfazed by my intrusion. I entered the room fully and placed my hand on his shoulder. Big mistake. Before I knew what hit me, I was flat on my back with Leo's hand just beneath the base of my throat. Sweat covered his forehead and I could see the frustration in his features. In a second, his eyes widened as he realized who I was.

"Amy, I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" he started, quickly pulling away from me.

"I know. I should know by now not to come up from behind you when you're training." Leo grabbed my hand and pulled me up off the floor.

"What did you come in for?"

"I want you to get off your leg for a little while. It's still healing. You can't expect to put all your weight on it. Granted, you weigh a lot less without the shell on your back, but still."

"You're worrying about all of us again, aren't you?"

"Pretty much," I answered. "Just, relax for a little while."

"If it'll get you to stop worrying," Leo answered with a smile, ruffling my hair. I left the room soon after and went down to Don's lab where, sure enough, he was at his computer. On the screen were various windows with all kinds of information listed on each one.

"Donny, what are you doing now?" I asked.

"I'm trying to see if there's anything else on this 'new' Foot Clan," he answered, not looking away from the computer screen. I pressed the power button on the monitor, turning the screen black.

"Are you ever going to give yourself a break?" Don looked up at me and I could see the dark blue and purple bruise around his left eye. It was slowly healing and looked better than it did the morning after the explosion. It was almost completely swollen shut that morning.

"On top of figuring out what happened to us, I have to find out what's going on with the Foot."

"You can do that later. Right now, let's get some ice on your eye."

"Is it that bad?"

"Does it still hurt?" I retorted and grabbed his wrist, leading him into the kitchen. "Your research will still be there when you get back." My shell cell started ringing and I sighed in annoyance. Looks like I wasn't going to be getting any breaks that day either. I pulled it out of my pocket.

"But what about-"

"Hello," I answered my phone, pulling out an ice-pack from the freezer.

"Hi, Amy, it's Gage," the person on the other end said.

"Gage! Hi, how are you?" I handed the ice-pack to my brother. "Donny, put that on your eye."

"What?"

"Nothing. My brothers were wrestling and Don got a black eye. No big deal."

"Exactly. No big deal," Don said and I waved his comment off.

"What did you call for?"

"I was wondering if you were busy today," Gage said.

"Let's see… I've corralled my brothers, tied them up and gagged them. No, I think I'm clear for the day." Gage laughed and I noticed the confused and slightly annoyed look from Donatello.

"Would you like to meet up with me and go to a Martial Arts show that's going on today?"

"I'd love to," I answered.

"Great. I'll meet you at the antique shop in ten minutes."

"See you then." I hung up the phone and turned around to see Don and Mikey standing behind me. Michelangelo had that same grin on his face.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"You didn't hear any of that," I said sharply and ran out of the lair, not bothering to change out of my training clothes. After all, if I was going to a Martial Arts show, I might as well be dressed for the part.

* * *

**Please R&R.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy, Gage and any random OCs that get thrown into the mix.**

* * *

Gage and I arrived at the Martial Arts show, surrounded by dozens of people who had come to see the display of skill. I wore the same clothes I wore for training with my brothers, the black kimono-style top with blue accents, black kapris and a pair of black sandals that were good for running. My black eye-mask was tied around my waist to prevent any odd stares and my tessen was hidden in the sash around my waist. Gage was wearing a pair of loose, jeans, sneakers and the black sweatshirt I'd seen him in when I first met him. As we watched the show, I couldn't help but feel a bit bored. It all seemed very choreographed. The movements of the fighters were _too_ perfect. I don't care what level black-belt you are, you're going to make some kind of mistake in battle.

"Are there any members of the audience who think they have what it takes to go against Kido Matsuri?" A man asked, walking into the center of the mats. Behind him was the man who'd just 'won' the fight that just took place. I rolled my eyes.

"Do you know how to do any of this?" Gage asked me in a low voice.

"This specific style, no, but I _have_ learned," I answered. "At least, I think I know more than Twinkletoes over there."

"I found a volunteer," Gage called, pulling me forward. My eyes widened in shock.

"What?! No! I fight for defense, not to prove anything to a bunch of dancers."

"Dancers?" the man in the middle of the mats asked.

"Yes, dancers."

"Why don't we see, young lady," Kido said, a smirk on his face.

"I'm not going to fight you without reason," I answered.

"What if he attacked you?" Gage asked.

"Then I'd use only the force necessary to get him down in order to protect myself. I've been taught the discipline needed for that."

"Give these people something to watch. Frankly, I was getting bored with the choreographed fights myself. It's like watching wrestling."

"Don't tell that to my brother," I said with a chuckle. Gage and the announcer backed away, leaving only Kido and me on the mats. "Look, Kido, was it? If you plan on attacking me, I suggest you put on some padding first." The black-belt ran towards me to attack. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

His leg came up to kick me and I blocked it with my forearm before striking his stomach with my fingertips in a praying-mantis shape. He doubled slightly in pain and I took that opportunity to grab his arm, whirl him around and press him to the mat, his arm twisted painfully behind his back. The room was silent as I performed this all in only seconds.

"I surrender," Kido said from beneath me and I released his arm. Stepping away, I glanced around the room. They were all in a state of shock. All with the exception of Gage. He had a smile on his face and began clapping for me.

"You're good, Amy," he said, walking up to me. "Where'd you learn to fight like that."

"My father was a martial arts teacher back in the day. He taught my brothers and me. Nothing much. Just some simple self-defense," I answered.

"That was anything but simple. Simple would have ended with you on the mat. That was some pretty quick work." I shrugged dismissively.

"I have good reflexes."

"Mind if I test them out?"

"Excuse me."

"I want to spar with you. Really give these guys something to watch," Gage suggested.

"I'd rather not," I answered.

"The girl's afraid of a challenge," someone from the audience called and a few people started laughing. I growled under my breath, my temper getting the better of me. I had to remind myself of what I'd been taught by Master Splinter. His words, as well as Leo's, echoed in my mind. I had to keep control of myself.

"She probably thinks she's too good for the rest of us," another member of the audience called. My hands clenched into fists as my annoyance rose.

"I bet she learned from an underhanded teacher," someone else, a woman, accused. That broke my control.

"My Master is a better man than anyone else I've met!" I yelled, stopping all commentary.

"Prove it, with your own skills," Kido said from behind me.

I glared at him and turned to face Gage, taking a defensive position. Gage kicked off his sneakers. He took a stance as well, and neither of us moved for the first minute or so. We were waiting for the other to make a move. Master Splinter had focused on defense when he was training me, which was why he'd given me a tessen as a weapon. I could only guess Gage had been taught defense as well.

Finally, I broke from my defensive stance and threw a punch at Gage. He stopped it with his hand and tried to pull the same stunt I used on Kido. Rather than allow this, I kicked my foot behind his heel and made him fall on his back, releasing me. Gage quickly leapt back onto his feet, throwing a punch at me. I dodged to the left, shoved his arm up with my left arm and landed a kick to his side. He grunted in pain, but grabbed my leg and flipped me sideways, using my arm on his as leverage. I was pressed to the mat on my stomach, Gage hovering just inches over me. I elbowed him in the stomach and rolled away, pushing myself onto my feet again.

Gage leapt into the air and, with a few swift blows that my body barely had time to register, had me back on the mat. This time, my back was pressed against the mat with Gage pinning me down. One of his legs pressed down on both of my own, holding them still and he'd gripped my wrists in both of his hands. His face was only mere inches away from mine and we were both breathing heavily. In all honesty, I found the position we were in quite uncomfortable, for more reasons than just the weight pressed against my thighs.

"I concede," I said breathlessly. I was amazed by how fast Gage was. He smiled down at me and got up, extending a hand to help me as well. I took it and was soon back on my feet.

"You're good, Amy. I haven't gotten a workout that good in a while," he said with a smile.

"Thanks. I think I'm going to be sore by tomorrow."

"Sorry about that. You need ice or anything?"

"No. I'll be good."

"I must ask, did the two of you have the same teacher?" the man acting as announcer asked. I turned to him, confusion on my features.

"Far from it," I answered. "Why do you ask?"

"You fight with similar styles."

"Just coincidence," Gage answered with a shrug.

I glanced at him with a slight frown. It's hard to believe a mere coincidence would explain our similar fighting styles. After all, I was trained in the art if ninjustu. Not many are trained the same way. My shell cell started ringing and I groaned. How many times was that thing going to go off?

"Hello," I answered.

"Hey, Amy. Just wondering how the date was going," Mikey said and I could hear the chuckle in his voice.

"Where are you?"

"In the lair, of course."

"Why don't I believe you?" Gage gave me a strange look.

"Believe what you will, sis, but Leo and Raph think it's high-time they met your boyfriend. I think I deserve to meet him in person as well, seeing as I set you guys up."

"He's not-"

"We'll meet you at the garage we keep the Battle Shell in. Be there in ten minutes," he interrupted.

"I really hate you at times, you know that?" I muttered.

"Love you to, Amy. See you in ten." I shut my phone and put it back in my pocket.

"What was that all about?" Gage asked.

"Come on. We've gotta go." Gage and I left the building and walked out onto the street.

"Where are we going?"

"My brothers insist on meeting you," I answered with a sigh.

* * *

**I get the feeling I'm going to have fun with the next chapter... Maybe I should get Ashley in on it as well... I'm sure she'd love it too. Please R&R.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I had a lot of fun with some parts of this one, as you will soon see. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of the characters. I only own Amy and Gage.**

* * *

Seeing my brothers in the garage was more than a little unnerving. I was thankful they'd had the sense to put tarp over the Battle Shell. Nothing screams 'suspicious' like an armored tank sitting in the garage. Granted, it was actually an abandoned warehouse of sorts that we found led straight to our lair. It became ours after that. On the way there, I tried to prepare Gage for the encounter he was about to have with my brothers. I could only imagine how it would be. Raph was going to be the most threatening. Then again, his bad shoulder _did_ hinder him quite a bit. Perhaps he'd settle for threats. When we arrived, I lifted the sliding metal door to reveal my brothers standing in various places around the garage. Mikey had that cruel grin on his face again.

"Amy, aren't you going to introduce us to your _boyfriend_?" he asked. I cringed slightly at the word. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Gage, these are my brothers. Leo is standing near those metal barrels. Leo, please sit down. You need to get off your leg for a while," I said. My eldest brother rolled his eyes with a chuckle and sat on top of one of the giant metal pipes. "You've met Don; he's by that huge thing covered in tarp. It's some kind of truck. Raph is over by the motorcycle. And you've spoken to Mike on the phone. Mikey, get down from those beams." The youngest of my brothers was up in the rafters of the building.

"Pleasure to meet you all. My name's Gage Turner," Gage said, nodding to each of them. Mikey made his way down to the floor, careful not to hit his hurt arm, and shook hands with Gage.

"Good to finally meet you in person, dude," he greeted.

"Ame, what happened ta ya?" Raph asked. "Ya look like ya got in a fight."

"Gage and I were just sparring. No big deal," I answered.

"Who won?" Leo asked.

"I did," Gage answered. Amy's better than most people there gave her credit for. She had a great teacher."

Leo nodded and glanced my way, as if to ask how much I'd told Gage about our training and Master Splinter. I smiled softly, hopefully quelling any fears he had. For a while, my brothers and Gage merely talked to each other, relaxing. I was actually very surprised by how well they got along. Well, for the most part, at least. Don and Mikey took to him pretty well, as they'd previously met him. Leo had the 'big brother' persona going on. I got the feeling Gage was a bit apprehensive, afraid to say something wrong. I couldn't blame him. If Leo didn't kill him for saying the wrong thing about me, Raph would. In fact, Raphael was the most hostile. Big shocker there. Things were going pretty well, despite these little bumps, though. That is, until Mikey decided to have some fun at my expense.

"So, Amy, how soon will the baby arrive? I can't wait to be an uncle!" he asked excitedly.

"Michelangelo!" I screamed, my face no doubt bright red.

My other three brothers looked as though they were about to have a heart attack. Even Gage looked shocked. Raphael lunged at Mikey, only to narrowly miss and hit the concrete floor. He completely ignore the pain that was undoubtedly shooting up his arm and continued to chase his youngest brother.

"Ya've done it now, Mikey!" Raph yelled. Mikey tried to hide behind me, but I stepped to the side allow Raph to get him.

"Not this time."

Raphael tackled Michelangelo to the ground, most likely adding more scrapes and bruises than were already there. Leo and Don finally snapped out of their shocked state and pulled Raph off of Mikey. I put my face in my hands, trying to hide the bright red blush on my cheeks. That was the last thing I expected Mike to say. Raph walked up to Gage and grabbed him by the collar of his sweatshirt.

"That ain't gonna be happening, or ya're dead," he threatened darkly. Gage nodded and Raph set him back down.

"It was just a joke!" Mikey yelled. He started to move his right arm, only to wince as blood began staining the gauze near his elbow.

"It wasn't funny," Leo answered sternly and returned to where he'd been sitting before. Gage started chuckling beside me and I looked up at him incredulously.

"Gage thought it was."

"Mikey, shut up," I muttered. Donatello cleared his throat awkwardly, as though trying to think of something to change the subject.

"Uh, Gage, you said earlier how you and Amy sparred. Where did you learn?" he asked. Don was officially off the hook for that whole 'motion sensors' thing in the vents.

"I just took some classes. Nothing spectacular, or anything like that," Gage answered.

I immediately noticed the skeptical expression on Leo's face. I knew something wasn't right with this story as well. I was able to beat a black-belt earlier that day, and Gage was able to beat me. He was hiding something, or downplaying it. I didn't particularly like it, but there was really nothing I could do about it without revealing more about how I'd grown up.

"Those must have been some good classes," Leo commented loosely. Gage shrugged his shoulders.

"I've been told I'm just a natural." I glanced at Leo. He didn't seem to buy this explanation, but decided not to pry further.

"We could always test that out," Raph offered with a smirk.

"No, Raph. Your shoulder's still hurt and you know it," I answered.

"What happened to him?" Gage asked.

"Like I said, my brothers were wrestling and they all ended up hurting themselves. Leo hurt his leg, Raph got his shoulder, Don has a black-eye, as you can see, and Mikey cut his arm on a piece of furniture."

"Wrestling in the living room?"

"Yeah."

"In my defense, I was just about thrown across the room," Mikey piped in. Leo and Don nodded in agreement. I looked at the three of them in surprise.

"_That's_ what happened?" I asked. They all nodded again and I knew they'd been referring to the explosion and not any fictional brawl. Gage cleared his throat and glanced at his watch.

"Well, I've enjoyed meeting the four of you. I have to get going, though. Before I go, though, I have to ask. Where's your father?" he asked.

"He's not feeling too well and had to stay home," Don answered, without missing a beat. Gage nodded and shook hands with my brothers.

"See you soon, Amy," he said, giving me a quick hug, before walking out the doorway. Once he was gone, my brothers and I closed the garage door and called up the strange elevator that led to the lair.

"Something's not quite right with his story," Leo mumbled.

"I like him," Mikey answered with a smile.

"Pull something like that again, and I'll kill you," I warned, knocking him upside the head.

"Ow!"

* * *

**XD**

**Yeah, that whole "I can't wait to be an uncle" bit along with the other three having a heart attack... that was all Ashley. You can thank her for that bit of humor. ;) **

**Please R&R.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry it took me so long to update. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find information on a character that only shows up in one episode. Seriously, people kept trying to give me links to the episode, but the links were dead, so I couldn't watch it... and all I wanted to know was the girl's personality and her interaction with the turtles. But NO! Took me nearly a week just to get enough to introduce her into my story... I'm gonna have to keep doing more research to try and get her character right.**

**I thought I'd take the time here to mention that I'm basically taking stuff from various incarnations of the show. A lot of this comes from the 2k3 version of the show, with bits and pieces of FF and BttS, but there's no Serling or anything. However, I AM taking a few things from the movies as well as a character from the Original Cartoon, which is why I had so much trouble because I wanted to use a character from the OT... anyone how knows the Original Toon really well may have already guessed who this character may be. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT (in any incarnation) or any of the characters. I only own Amy, Gage and any other random OC I throw into the mix.**

* * *

My brothers had been human for three months. The thought of that blew my mind. How could this have been going on for three months without Don or I figuring out what could have caused it? It was surreal. With the exclusion of that, though, everything seemed pretty normal… all things considered. My brothers and I spent a lot of time topside. Gage and I had become much closer in the past month. Thankfully, Mikey had taken the hint to stop teasing me as much about our relationship. Overall, my brothers were adjusting to their lives as human well. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if they would want to be turtles again, if that we could find an antidote to whatever made them human in the first place.

Gage left a few days ago to go visit some family out of town and was expected back before the end of the day. In the meantime, I was spending the day with Raphael. We'd spent most of the day on the shell cycle, riding through the streets of New York. After stopping by the antique shop to visit with Donatello for a while, we went out to lunch with Leo. As I'd stated previously, life was pretty average. There had been little going on with the Foot Clan, that was detectable, and the Purple Dragons had been relatively quiet as well. It was strange, really.

"What are you thinking about, Amy?" Leo asked as I finished eating. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I just feel like this is the calm before the storm, you know? I don't like it," I answered.

"I know how you feel. This is… unusual."

"Look at us, Leo," Raph interrupted with a chuckle. "Our lives've never been normal."

"I don't think that's what he meant, Raph," I answered. "Something big is coming, really big."

"Ya've been hangin' around Leo an' Masta Splinta too much, Ame." I shook my head with a sigh and pulled out the money to pay for my meal.

"Whatever you say, Raph. Whatever you say."

The three of us paid for lunch and left the restaurant, walking towards where Raph had parked his motorcycle. Leo was planning on walking around more, while Raph and I were going to head back to the lair for a couple hours' training. Just as I was about to mount the bike after Raph, Leo turned around abruptly. His gaze was fixed on the alleyway behind him.

"I think I heard something," he said quietly, almost in a whisper.

"Probably a cat lookin' fer food," Raph muttered.

Leo shook his head and began walking down the alley cautiously. Curiosity getting the better of me, I followed after him. When Leo turned to the left, he took a step back and his eyes were wide with surprise. I ran forward, pulling my tessen out of its holster, and stood in front of him. The sight before me caused me to drop my war fan. Standing before us, though trying to hide behind the garbage in the alley, was a young woman, though I knew she was about five years older than me. Her thick brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and she had a pink handkerchief tied around her neck. What was unusual about her was the fact that she was not human. Instead, she was a mutated, green salamander. I knew her from when I'd met her when I was fourteen years old.

"Mona!" I squealed happily and threw my arms around her neck. I'd seen her for a short time after she and Raph met for the first time, four years ago. We'd become good friends, but she soon left to go on her own for a while. She wanted to make sure what had happened to her couldn't happen to anyone else.

"Amelia?" she asked in surprise. "I barely recognized you!" I pulled away from Mona Lisa and grinned. It was good to see her again.

"It's only been four years," I answered with a chuckle, causing her to laugh as well.

"How're your brothers?" I glanced behind me to see Leo smiling. He stepped forward and extended his hand.

"It's good to see you again, Mona," he said. This only brought a confused expression to her face.

"Mona, you remember Leo, right? Well, all of my brothers have undergone a very… weird change," I told her.

"Y-You're human," she gasped.

"What's takin' ya?" Raph demanded as he started walking down the alley.

"We found an old friend," I answered with a smirk. My brother rounded the corner and I could see the shock on his features when he saw Mona Lisa.

"Mona?" The salamander's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in complete and utter shock. The last thing she expected was to see my brothers as human, least of all Raphael.

"Raphael… H-How did you-" Mona started to ask.

"We don't know."

"Donny and I've been trying to figure that out for the past three months," I answered. "We can't stay out here, though. Someone might see. You should come back to the lair with us."

"Alright," Mona answered with a nod.

"Leo and Raph, you guys take the Shell Cycle back to the lair. I'll go with Mona through the sewer route and we'll meet you there." Though Raph was still in a shocked state of mind, he managed to nod and walked off with Leo. I picked up my tessen and lifted the lid to a nearby manhole, allowing Mona to descend the ladder first.

"How've you been, Amelia?" she asked as we walked through the sewer lines.

"Pretty well, actually, considering everything that's been going on with my brothers. What about you? Where've your travels taken you?"

"All over the country. I've had to make my way around in hiding, but I've decided to come back to New York."

"I'm glad you're back. Raph's probably excited too. I mean, you guys were close when you were here."

"You think he's happy to see me?"

"I'm sure of it… once he gets past the shock of it," I answered and we both started laughing.

"So, is there someone special in your life? Like you said, it's been four years."

"Actually, yeah. I met this guy about a month ago."

"And…" Mona prompted.

"And he's probably the best thing to happen to me since I met Splinter and my brothers."

* * *

**Yes, the character I was trying to find information on was Mona Lisa. Now, because I haven't seen the one episode she's in, I know very little about her character. That's where you reviewers come in. Please, give me any information you can on her personality and her interactions with the turtles... from the one episode she was in. Let me know if anything I have her do/say is out of character. PLEASE do NOT direct me to a Youtube link of the episode she is in, I will not be able to see it. Trust me, I've tried. Please R&R.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm back! ... AGAIN! lol. I'm sorry for the randomness of my updates. I'm just always jumping from place to place with my ideas and such... but I finally figured out something I could do to move it along. And I want to take time right here to thank Solaris Prime, who has allowed me to use the backstory of his character, Christopher Nova. No, Chris won't be making any (direct) guest appearances. Why? Read "Live and Learn" and you'll find out. Yes, shameless advertising. lol. Anway, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. I get Amy and Gage. Christopher Nova and his story belong to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

We were all gathered in the living room of the lair. Raphael still couldn't seem to fully get over his shock, which amused me greatly. Michelangelo might as well have been bouncing off the walls, he was so happy. Don and Leo had both been surprised at first by Mona's appearance, but quickly settled into it. Master Splinter welcomed her into our home with no qualms. I was simply happy to see Mona Lisa again. The last time I'd seen her had been when I was fourteen. We'd bonded quickly and had become good friends, but she'd soon had to leave to make sure no other humans could be mutated like she had. We'd lost contact with her, because she was always moving around so much.

"I see you guys moved from the last time I saw you," Mona noted as she looked around the lair. I'd forgotten that she'd never seen the abandoned subway station we called home. It was considerably larger than the tight space we'd previously inhabited.

"Our old place was attacked by the Shredder and his goons," Mikey answered, flopping down on the arm-chair. I noticed Mona staring at him a little longer than usual before pulling her gaze towards me.

"How did…"

"They become human? We don't know," I answered. "Don's been looking over a lot of data, but he can't seem to find anything out of the ordinary. They've been like this for three months now."

"How do you like being human?"

"It's taken some getting used to," Leo answered with a slight chuckle. "It came as a huge shock when we woke up in the morning like this."

"I'll say," I muttered, remembering that morning. Mona then began to glance around the room, a curious expression on her face.

"What's up, Mona?" Raph asked.

"Didn't you guys have another brother? Where is he?" the salamander asked. My eyes widened and my hand clenched into a fist as I glanced away from her.

"He's not around anymore," I answered lowly.

Christopher Nova had been another adoptive brother of mine. He'd been blind when Mona met him, thanks to the Shredder, but Don had been able to restore his sight to him. It was a matter of reversing some chemical effects. We'd had a fight with the Shredder –or another incarnate of him, I should say– and Chris didn't make it out.

"Did something happen?"

I quickly stood from the couch, where I sat beside Mona and excused myself. This was a conversation I didn't want to take part in, and I left the living area of the lair to the upper level, where I room was located. Instead of entering my room, though, I simply sat on the floor, leaning against my doorway. From below, I could still hear my brothers, father and Mona talking.

"Poor Amy," Don murmured.

"Did I say something wrong?" Mona asked.

"Chris died nine months ago and Amy doesn't really like to talk about it much," Leo answered. "She never told us all the details, but he died saving her life. The two of them were close, so it really hit her hard. That's why we don't usually talk about him whenever she's around."

I sighed softly. Chris _had_ died saving my life. Shredder had opened some kind of magical black hole. I didn't understand much of it, but I knew the only thing that could stop it was some kind of crest, which Shredder had not only found, but wore during the fight. All of us had been badly hurt, where I was the only one conscious at one point. Chris had come to just before Shredder was about to kill me. He forced Shredder into the black hole, crest and all, but he also sent himself into it. I think what hurt most was that he did it because he loved me, truly loved me. I wasn't just his sister in his eyes. Chris had died, and it was _my_ fault. That was the reason I hated people protecting me, and why I had been so upset with myself after Raph had been hurt by those 'new' Foot Ninjas.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you all okay?"

"We've been getting along. For the most part, we're just worried about Amy."

"That's kind of why we set her up with this guy she's dating now," Mikey added. "She seemed really stressed out, with our transformation and all. We figured it only added to her grief, so we all worked together to get her with this guy, Gage."

_That_ was certainly a new revelation. _All_ of my brothers had worked to put me on that blind date? I'd figured Mikey had been the one to coerce all of them into helping him. The more I thought of it, the more it made sense. Don could have told them about Gage in the first place, Mikey had set up the first date, Raph provided the transportation as well as eliminating my chances of escape by supporting Mikey, and Leo had insisted on meeting him to make it seem more natural. I couldn't believe they set me up like that, so perfectly. At the same time, though, I was glad they did. Gage helped me feel at ease, even with all the stress in my life.

"What's her new boyfriend like?" Mona asked. "It seems like she really likes him."

"He's tough, I'll give 'im that," Raph answered, causing Donatello to chuckle. I stood from where I'd been hiding and jumped down to the lower level of the lair. My brothers all stared at me, a slight grimace on Michelangelo's face. They knew I'd heard them, though I couldn't be sure if that was their intention or not.

"I'm going topside for a while," I said with a soft smile.

"You want one of us to go with you?" Leo asked.

"Nah. I'm just going to go for a walk. It's starting to get dark now, so I can go by rooftop."

"Call us if anything comes up."

"Will do," I answered and walked out of the lair.

When I was up on the surface, I climbed the fire escape of the nearest building and began walking along the edge of the roof. It was going to be a clear night, I could tell. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as the sun slowly set, casting an orange glow in the sky. I inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air, and began running across the roof of the building, leaping to the next with ease. For almost an hour I did this, chasing after the setting sun with a smile tugging at my lips. Being out at sunset like this, following the sun, made me feel closer to Chris. It almost made me think that if I could just catch up with the sun, I'd see him again. It was a ridiculous notion, but it made _me_ feel better.

I was brought to my senses when I heard someone scream from below. Stopping at the edge of a building, I looked down at the alley below. There, I saw a woman backing into a wall, with a man holding a gun walking towards her. A scowl crossed my lips as I reached for my tessen. Without a second of hesitation, I dropped down from where I was perched, using the walls to guide myself to the ground, and landed behind the man in near silence. I grabbed his head and placed the blade of my tessen to his throat, causing him to freeze in fear.

"What the-" he started, his finger beginning to pull on the trigger. The woman dropped to her knees with her hands covering her head. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

"Make one false move and you won't live another minute," I warned darkly, placing my tessen closer to his throat. "Now, drop your weapon." The gun fell with a clatter onto the cement.

"What do you want from me?"

"I could ask you the same thing about this poor woman, now couldn't I?"

Before the man could answer, I heard the sound of something sharp slicing through air from behind me. I whirled around and blocked the weapons with my tessen. The clattered to the ground and I realized they were shuriken. The man ran past me, obviously fearing for his life now.

"Thank you," the woman I'd saved said gratefully.

"Don't thank me yet," I answered, glancing around. "This isn't over." Five dark figures dropped to the ground, surrounding me completely in the narrow alleyway. I had to resist the urge to scowl, knowing I wouldn't be able to move as well as normal, as I was still wearing jeans from before.

"Wh-what's going on?" Thankfully, the Foot Ninjas seemed to be ignoring the woman, but their sole attention was on me. One of them stepped forward and I realized that he wasn't wearing black, but dark gray. He may have been the one leading the band of ninjas that attacked Raph and me a month before. My eyes narrowed at him.

"Who are you?!" I demanded as I lunged forward, reaching for his mask.

As I reached for it, I felt two blades being shoved through my calves, preventing me from moving forward. They were too late, though, because I'd removed the mask of their leader. The face I saw hurt me as much as the katanas in my legs. I screamed out in pain, dropping to my knees as the blades were removed. Staring up into the eyes of their leader, I couldn't stop my tears. His face expressed shock, and his eyes held a deep sorrow.

"Amy," he murmured. He then glared at the men who'd attacked me. "Why did you interfere?! I could've easily taken care of her myself!"

"Gage… why?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**For all of you who guessed Gage was working on the opposite side: DING DING DING! You're right. I guess it was kinda obvious, the way I wrote it, but it was still fun keeping Amy in the dark. Hopefully I'll have another chapter for you soon and won't leave you hanging too long. Please R&R.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Here's the next chapter, for your reading pleasure. lol. I hope you gusy like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its character. I only get Amelia, Gage and random OCs. Christopher Nova and his story belong to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

Gage stared down at me as blood quickly pooled around me from the wounds in my legs. I placed my hands on the ground, my tessen under my right palm. Choked sobs escaped my throat as I stared at his feet. He murmured something I couldn't catch and the other Foot Ninjas disappeared. Gage knelt in front of me and rested a hand on my shoulder. I pulled away, as though he'd burned me.

"Stay back!" I cried.

I couldn't move far, due to the pain in my calves. The woman I'd saved had disappeared and I found myself glancing around for her, rather than paying attention to Gage. My mind was too frantic for me to be thinking properly. Gage wrapped his arms around me, holding me close with my head against his chest. I could hear his heart beating, only slightly faster than a normal rate.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I never thought this would happen," he whispered, running a hand through my hair. More tears flowed down my cheeks, soaking his shirt. I felt as though my heart had been pulled from my chest and ripped to pieces. I felt so betrayed.

"I trusted you…"

"Amy-"

"Go away!" I yelled, trying to push him off of me. His arms only tightened around me, preventing me from moving.

"Stop it. You'll kill yourself at this rate."

"Then let me bleed out! You son of a– I trusted you!"

"I'm sorry."

"Get away from me!" I punched his chest, though not with the same force I would normally have used. I felt so much weaker. "I never want to see you again!" Gage sighed and pulled something off of my belt. When I looked up, I realized he had my shell cell. He pressed a few buttons before holding the phone to his ear.

"Mike, it's Gage. I found Amy in an alley near 42nd St. She's hurt really badly. You guys need to come get her," he said before clicking off the phone. Mikey hadn't gotten a chance to say anything in response. Gage placed the shell cell in my hand and gripped my shoulders. I stared into his eyes, pain and hatred racing through my veins.

"Leave me," I growled. "Go away!"

"Alright, I'll go. You'll never have to see me again if you don't want to. But before I go, I want you to know that I'm truly sorry for what happened tonight. We came because we heard a scream. I never thought I'd encounter you like this." He gently pressed his lips to mine, caressing my cheek. "I'm sorry." With that, Gage disappeared into the night and I let one hand fall to the cement, holding me up, while my fingers brushed over my lips. I screamed, crying to anyone who would hear me. Harsh sobs racked my body. I was only there for five minutes before I heard the sounds of people landing around me.

"Amy!" Don exclaimed and was at my side in a second. Raph growled and I heard him punch the wall.

"Who did this to ya?!" he demanded. "And where's Gage?!"

"Raph, we'll sort it out at home," Leo answered.

I was lifted off the ground and stared up at my eldest brother as he carried me bridal style. Tears clouded my vision and I was unable to speak; only sob. When we finally arrived back at the lair, I heard Mona audibly gasp, most likely from the sight of my bloody legs.

"Amelia," Master Splinter murmured sadly and I clenched my hands tightly, wishing the pain would stop.

Leo set me down on a hard, flat surface, likely the table in Don's makeshift medical room. Leonardo wiped my tears away as Don injected me with what I could only guess was Novocain. The pain in my legs soon numbed, but that didn't stop the ache in my chest. Only minutes later, Don finished tending to my wounds and my brothers were all gathered around me. I shakily forced myself to sit up, Mikey's hands helping me.

"Amy," Leo whispered. "What happened?" I shook my head, placing a hand over my mouth.

"Who attacked you?" Donatello asked.

"Foot Ninjas," I choked out.

"I'll kill 'em!" Raph yelled.

"I… I want to go to bed. Please." The rage in Raphael's eyes subsided somewhat and he carefully lifted me off the table. I buried my head into his shoulder as he carried me to my room.

"Don't worry, Ame. They ain't gonna hurt ya again. We're gonna find 'em." I shook my head, taking a shaky breath. Raph set me down on my bed and I wiped my eyes.

"I love you, Raphie," I murmured and his eyes softened more. It wasn't often I expressed my feelings for my family in such a soft-spoken way. It was probably something I should've done more, but my brothers and Master Splinter knew I cared for them.

"Love ya too, Ame. Get some rest."

He shut the door behind him as he left and I curled onto my side, waiting for sleep to come. All I could think of was the attack on me that evening. I would never have guessed Gage was the enemy. Talk about Romeo and Juliet, as much as I hated that play; it wasn't really a romance. A light knock broke me from my thoughts as my door opened slightly.

"Can I come in?" Mona asked.

"Yeah," I murmured, but didn't make any movement. I felt her sit down beside me and rest a webbed hand on my shoulders.

"Your brothers are really worried about you… we all are."

"I know…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I should've known."

"How could you? They attacked when you were alone."

"But it was _him_."

"Who?" Mona asked gently.

"Gage," I cried and her eyes widened. She may not have met Gage, but she knew how I felt about him and who he was to me. I didn't want to think of how my brothers would react when they found out.

"What happened?" I sighed heavily and pushed myself up, leaning with my back against the wall. I told her everything, from saving to woman to Gage leaving. It took me longer to tell my story, as I had to fight back my tears.

"I… I don't know if I can fight him. I know he's been killing people because he's with the Foot, but I don't think I can fight him." Mona hugged me, rubbing my back.

"I don't think he can fight you, either," she answered.

* * *

**My nice little hurt/comfort moment at the end there. And foreshadowing? Maybe... I'm not sure yet. lol. I'm bad at finding foreshadowing, let alone writing it. Let's just keep it as is. lol. Please R&R.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hmmm... slightly shorter than usual. This is mostly more comfort-ness, but it will be getting more interesting next chapter, I promise. I've already gotten more than half of the next chapter written out. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. Chris belongs to Solaris Prime. I get Amy and Gage.**

* * *

The next morning, I awoke to silence. I found this extremely odd, considering my family, and looked at the clock beside my bed. It was nine in the morning; I'd slept in. With a soft groan, I pushed myself up. My muscles creaked in protest. I slowly changed out of the bloody clothes I'd slept in and into my usual training clothes. The only difference in my outfit was that my black pants covered my entire leg, rather than stopping at my knees. I limped out of my room, using the wall to support myself, and used a pipe to slide down to the lower level of the lair. I couldn't hear any of my brothers or Mona. Nowhere could I see Master Splinter, either.

"Hello?" I called. "Leo? Raph? Is anyone home?"

"They went to Casey and April's," someone said from behind me. I turned around to see Don.

"Why didn't anyone wake me? And why didn't you go?"

"We wanted you to rest. I stayed behind so I could help when you woke up."

"I see. Sorry."

"For what? None of this is your fault." I nodded reluctantly and turned away, limping towards the couch. Before I could get far, Don rested a hand on my shoulder and stopped me. "Mona told us what happened."

"I knew she would. She knows how you guys are with me and how you'd do anything to keep my safe. I also know that you guys set me up with Gage." Don's eyes widened in surprise before giving me a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry, Amy," he answered.

"Stop. I'm sick of people apologizing to me! First Chris, then Gage, now you. Doesn't anyone realize that this is my fault? Chris died because of me, and I should have figured out that there was something wrong with Gage's story."

"We all should have. Stop blaming yourself, Amy," Don answered sternly. There was silence between us for a few minutes.

"Did Master Splinter leave too?" I finally asked.

"Yeah. They're telling Casey and April to look out for Gage, and to call us if they see him."

"I doubt he'll come to the shop anymore."

"Why?"

"Because he told me he'd leave and I'd never have to see him again. He won't seek me out."

"You believe him? After he attacked you?" Don demanded.

"I… I don't know. I mean, he looked so surprised to see me, and upset when they hurt me. I don't know, it could've been an act.

"It likely _was_."

"But I have such a hard time believing that. He'd always been so genuine with me. _You _guys liked him enough to set me up."

"We were wrong."

"Apparently! Donny, I just don't know what to do. If we ever confront him again, I don't think I'll stand a chance. I can't fight him."

"You won't have to. Raph will probably do that for you."

"I know," I muttered.

"Amy, I don't think you really saw him last night. Raph looked terrible, especially after he brought you up to bed. I thought he might attack one of _us_. It was only worse when Mona told us who attacked you." My legs were shaking beneath me, tired of holding my body up for so long. Don held onto me so that I was using him for a crutch and led me to sit on the couch.

"So, what do we do next?" I asked.

"_You're_ going to focus on healing. We'll take care of the rest."

"But what about finding out what turned you guys human?"

"You can't analyze what isn't there," Donatello answered and ruffled my hair. At that moment, the rest of my family arrived with Mona, Casey and April. The red-head was by my side in a matter of seconds, hugging me tightly.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she exclaimed.

"April," I murmured. She pulled away and looked me over.

"We'll get him. Don't worry. He's not going to get away with what he's done."

"How're ya feelin', Amy?" Casey asked, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Shaken, but I'll be fine. I'm sorry for worrying all of you."

"I am happy you are feeling well, my daughter," Master Splinter said and I bowed my head.

Raph had yet to speak and I saw the anger burning in his eyes. He was trying to hide it, for my sake, but I could read him like an open book – both as a turtle _and_ as a human. Mikey was different as well. The serious expression on his face was unlike what I was used to. I felt terrible because they were all so worried about me. Leo was as serious as always, but he was good at masking his emotions and putting on a brave face for the rest of us. I was sure he was doing the same now.

"I won't be caught off guard again," I said sternly, earning a slight smirk from Raphael.

* * *

**Please R&R.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here's another chapter. Okay, so I was wrong and there's not a whole lot of really interesting stuff in this chapter, though it's pretty thought-provoking towards the end. :D**

**Oh, and as an extra note, the italics is a dream.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. Chris and his story belong to Solaris Prime. I get Amy and Gage.**

* * *

"Amy, don't push yourself like that," Leonardo reprimanded for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Of course, that wasn't counting the endless reminders I'd received from the rest of my family as well. It was always 'don't do this' or 'be careful' or 'you should've asked us for help' for the past week. That was probably the thing that annoyed me the most about my brothers: they too often forgot what an independent person I could be. I hated being confined to one area for hours on end. I wanted to move, despite my body's protests.

With a sigh, I leaned against the wall of the lair, dropping my kunai to the floor with a loud clatter. I was breathing heavily, though I'd only been standing for less than an hour. My calves burned and I forced myself to ignore it. I didn't want Leo knowing how much it hurt for me to be training.

"It's no big deal, Leo," I insisted. I didn't dare to move from where I stood, though. Leonardo walked briskly towards me and lifted me in his arms with little difficulty. One of his arms was behind my back while the other was under my knees. I crossed my arms in front of my chest obstinately, knowing he'd seen through my words.

"How long were you training?" he asked sternly.

"Only about forty-five minutes. It's no problem."

"You look like you've been fighting for hours." He walked over to the living area and set me on the couch. When he sat beside me, I leaned so my head was on his shoulder.

"You're over exaggerating, Leo," I muttered.

"Your legs are swollen. If you want to heal, you'll have to rest and let your body do that. Training until you're ready to collapse isn't going to help you in the least," he answered.

"Maybe, but what else am I going to do? I'm restless."

"Play some video games?" Mikey offered as he entered the room, overhearing the last part of our conversation.

"Read a book?" This one was Don, from his computer. I frowned and crossed my arms again.

"I'm out of books and Mikey, you get violent with your games, dude," I answered, recalling a time he dove across the couch to try and get an edge on Raph in the middle of one of their games. Michelangelo grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Whatever you do, I don't want you on your feet. You can hardly walk," Leo said, grabbing my attention again.

"How will I walk if I don't try?"

"Amelia." He now had a warning tone in his voice that I knew better than to argue with. With a sigh, I rested my head on his shoulder again and closed my eyes. As much as I didn't want to admit to my eldest brother, I was exhausted simply from holding myself up as I trained myself. It wasn't long before I drifted to sleep on Leo's shoulder.

_I was surrounded by darkness, unsure of any of my surroundings. There was only my sense of self, as I could see my hands in front of me. Oddly, I was illuminated, though from no light source. As I glanced around me, I found nothing that would help me identify where I was. A shudder rippled through my body at the feeling of emptiness._

"_Hello?" I called, hoping for some sort of response._

_Instead, my surroundings changed abruptly, suddenly lighting up around me. For some reason, my vision wasn't affected by the sudden change in light. I took in my new surroundings before gasping in shock. I was in a room I recognized very well: the control room of the Shredder's hideout. Furniture was thrown about the room, my brothers along with them. Raphael and Donatello were beneath some furniture, while Michelangelo was unconscious against the wall and Leonardo was face-down on the floor, unconscious as well._

_What shocked me most was the scene directly in front of me. I saw my own body on the floor, struggling to move. There were bruises covering her – or me, I should say – and I watched as my body trembled with the effort of simply lifting its torso. Only about fifteen feet in front of my body was a person I hadn't seen in nine months. Christopher was fighting the Shredder, only a short distance from Oblivion's Mouth, a black hole of sorts. They had matched blades and each was struggling for dominance. A painful phrase echoed through my mind, though it hadn't been said in this strange vision of mine._

_'Don't act dumb, boy! … I can see your love for her… I will ease your pain… by killing you first.'_ _Those had been the words Shredder spoke when I'd learned Chris' true feelings towards me._

"_You're right," I heard Chris say, snapping me from my musings. I hadn't heard his voice in so long; it was surreal. "I can't throw you alone into Oblivion!"_

"_Chris!" I screamed. At the same, time, my body on the floor screamed the same. Tears began building in my eyes as I watched the scene play out. The image of me on the ground pled for him to wait, to give her time to help him._

"_There is no time!" Chris answered. I tried to move forward, to stop him, but I was planted where I stood. When I looked down, there were two katanas in my calves, holding me still. While I felt a dull throbbing in my legs, there was no sharp pain as expected._

"_Chris, don't! You can't leave us! You can't leave me!" my other self screamed. I watched as a pained expression crossed Chris' face._

"_Amy…" He swallowed hard, and I saw his Adam's apple move. "I'm sorry." Chris shifted his weight, pushing Shredder and himself into the black hole. Almost instantly after they entered, the gateway to Oblivion disappeared, taking my brother along with it._

"Chris!" I yelled as my eyes snapped open. There were tears streaked down my cheeks and I quickly wiped them away.

"What's wrong, Amy?" Mona Lisa asked and I realized I was fully lying on the couch and she was in one of the armchairs.

"Nothing," I murmured. "Just a bad dream." I sat up fully and rested my hand on one of my calves, feeling the stitches beneath the fabric of my pants. My mind shifted to the image of the swords in my legs in my dream. Why had they been there? And why had I dreamed of Chris' death in the first place?

* * *

**So, if anyone reading is good at reading between the lines, you may be able to figure out the significance of the dream. If not, well, it doesn't really matter. It's really just another thing to help you understand Amy's character. By the way, all the dialogue in the dream was taken directly from "Live and Learn" by Solaris Prime. That's all his. I just added in the stuff where the 'real' Amy can see stuff in a third-person perspective. Fun, fun. lol. Please R&R.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Bleh. Another short one. Well, at least things are getting interesting again. Sorry, but I don't like to go long without having good stuff happen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. Chris belongs to Solaris Prime. I get Amy and Gage.**

* * *

Weeks had passed and Gage hadn't shown up at the shop once, just as I had predicted. I'd told him to leave and he did just that. There were times I'd wonder where Gage was hiding. During these times of relative calmness, I still worked with Donatello in April's shop. For the first week or so, I was forced to remain seated much of the day. Now, I was mostly healed and had even begun some light training to keep my strength up. Mona now lived in the lair with us, having a room of her own near mine.

"Amy, can you get another one of these screws form the back room?" Don asked, holding up the piece he needed.

"Sure," I answered with a smile and took the screw from his hand. As I walked into the back room, I searched the shelves for the right size. Across the room, on top of a stack of boxes, I saw a small, white envelope. My curiosity taking over, I approached the boxes and found the envelope to be addressed to me. Opening the letter, I dropped the screw I was holding.

'Amelia,' it started. 'I know you probably hate me, but I hope you're doing well. You can't begin to understand how sorry I am for what happened that night. I know I said I'd leave, but I wanted to make sure you knew everything. You can meet me tonight in the middle of the park at seven this evening, if you have any questions you want answered. You can bring your brothers if you want. I'm not going to hurt you.' It ended with Gage's signature. I couldn't move from where I was standing, in shock at finding this note.

"Amy?" Don called and I heard him nearing the back room. "Is something wrong?"

"D-Donny," I murmured, turning around with the note in my hands.

"What's that?" He read it over my shoulder and I watched as his facial features changed from surprise to anger. "I can't believe this!"

"I want to go."

"What?!"

"And I want you to go with me."

"Amy, he's the reason you nearly died!"

"I want to know. I need some answers and I want to you to come with me because you'll keep a level head… more than Raph or Mikey, at least. Please, Donny. I don't want to go alone." My brother sighed heavily, running a hand through his wavy brown hair.

"We should tell the others first. We'll have to go now, knowing the arguments that will ensue; it's five now," he answered. We closed up shop and went down to the lair where, luckily, everyone still was. Once gathered in the middle of the lair, my family and Mona held curious, as well as confused, expressions.

"What's up, Amy?" Mikey asked. With a sigh, I pulled out the note from gage and read it aloud. Raphael and Leo seemed furious, while Mikey and Mona were shocked. Master Splinter seemed less than pleased, but trying to understand the situation.

"I want to meet him tonight," I finally said.

"What?!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Absolutely not!" The yells from my older brothers caused me to cringe, anticipating worse. Donatello stood by my side, sighing.

"I told you," he murmured.

"Guys, this is something I need," I insisted.

"What you _need_ is to get your head checked!" Mikey yelled, his voice a higher pitch than usual.

"I'm going whether you support me or not. I just figured we'd all feel better if you did."

"Why do you want to meet him so much?" Leo asked.

"I want some answers."

"I don't think it's a bad idea," Mona said and I smiled softly.

"What? Mona, ya _saw_ what he did to 'er!" Raph yelled.

"Amy feels the same way I did about Captain Filch. This could be her only way to get closure." I nodded, glad she understood, at least in part, why I wanted to meet with Gage.

"You won't be going alone," Leo insisted firmly.

"She asked me to go with her," Don answered.

"Alight. Don will walk with Amy and the rest of us will follow, keeping to the shadows. If we see anything suspicious, Amy, we're getting you out of there."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I answered with a smile.

"I'll stay here with Master Splinter," Mona volunteered. "Amy, tell me all about it when you get back." I nodded and turned my attention back to my brothers.

"Be cautious, my sons," Master Splinter said, "and do not let any harm befall your sister."

* * *

**Please R&R.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Another chapter done. These have been written up for the past few days... I just never got around to typing them. lol. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. Chris belongs to Sol. I get Amy and Gage.**

* * *

It was seven in the evening when we arrived in the middle of Central Park. Very few people were around, though I knew Leo, Raph and Mikey were close, hiding in the shadows. Don was walking beside me, his hand clenched at his side. He was dreading this meeting, I knew. His bo staff was with Leo, who would throw it down if need be. Only minutes after we arrived, a dark figure stepped out from behind the trees. Gage was wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt. Don and I were both dressed for a fight.

"Amy," Gage murmured as he approached. He glanced at Donny and stopped short, ten feet from where I stood. I looked at my older brother to see a threatening look in his eyes. It was an expression rarely used by my mild-mannered brother. I pulled the note out of my pocket and held it up.

"When did you put this in the shop?" I asked.

"Yesterday morning. I came here last night too."

"Why did you send this? You said I'd never have to see you again."

"In all fairness, you didn't _have_ to come tonight."

"Gage, now's not the time to be a smartass. It could get you hurt one of these days.

"Alright, I get it. I sent you the letter because I thought you deserved some answers, considering what my subordinates did to you. Also… I had to know you were okay."

"Okay? You call this _okay_? I had a hole in each leg. I could barely walk for weeks!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't want them to attack you. They did that on their own."

"Were you the one that led the group that attacked Raph and me?" I asked. Gage sighed.

"Yeah. As soon as I knew who they were going after, I pulled back."

"You nearly killed my brother!"

"I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize. I don't want to hear it. Those are empty words to me."

"Amy, you know I'd never hurt you if I could avoid it," Gage insisted.

"Why can't I believe you?"

"Because I no longer deserve your trust." As I stared at Gage, I could still clearly remember the night I'd been attacked and tears began forming in my eyes. I quickly blinked them away.

"Are you leading the entire Foot Clan?" I asked.

"No. I don't have that kind of authority."

"Then why did you join them?!"

"My dad was a member. He died, but not before putting me in. I can't leave, or they'll kill me."

"Is that why you've been killing people?"

"I haven't killed _anyone_. I bring the new recruits out and teach them how to fight and remain hidden, even in broad daylight. I never hurt anyone to the point of killing them," Gage answered. He seemed offended by my assumption that he'd murdered anyone.

"But you _have_ hurt people." This wasn't a question.

"Back when I was a grunt, yes. I moved up the ranks to where I don't have to do that anymore."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because my dad killed my mother, per orders."

My eyes widened in shock and I gasped. Don grabbed my arm to keep me steady. I never realized until that moment that Gage had never spoken of his family; only his friends. He'd always seemed glad to hear stories of my brothers and me from our childhood.

"Amy," Don murmured and I looked up at him. "Be careful."

"I hate being part of this organization. There were times when I considered dying would've been better than working for them."

"Shut up," I muttered. As much as he'd hurt me, I couldn't bear the thought of Gage doing something to purposely get himself killed.

"You know, Amy, I haven't told anyone about you or your brothers."

"What are you talking about?"

"The others don't know the significance of your last name, Amelia Hamato. My dad was part of the original Foot Clan, the ones that went to Japan with Mistress Karai." I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. You're the girl who was a thorn in the original Shredder's side for a long time. Your brothers are Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo: Leo, Don, Raph and Mike. Your father's name is Splinter and he's a mutated rat. Your brothers are actually turtles who have somehow become human. I could've told my leader about you and we wouldn't be having this meeting, but I didn't."

"Why didn't you?" I asked.

"Because I didn't want to hurt you or your family. And because I hate this place I'm bound to."

"One more question. Who was behind the explosion at the Biotech lab? It was a couple days before you met my brothers, after they were supposedly wrestling."

"They were there, weren't they?" Gage asked.

"Yes. Now, who was behind that?"

"That mission was carried out by another team, but I know who ordered it be done: Baxter Stockman."

"What?! He's alive?!" I demanded and Gage scowled.

"Barely. He's pretty much just a floating brain in a jar and an eye. Most of what I see of him is a holographic image. _He's _someone I wouldn't mind killing."

"Do you _know_ what he's done to my family?!"

"I've heard some stories. Amy, is there any way I can make it up to you, any of it?" I put a hand on my head and Don wrapped an arm over my shoulders to keep me steady.

"We should go," he murmured. I nodded, knowing Raph was likely getting restless where he hid. He'd wanted to fight, I knew from before we left. "You've been standing all day and need to rest." I nodded slowly again, knowing he was right. My legs were beginning to tremble beneath me.

"One more," I mumbled. "Who exactly are you working for?"

"He's taken on the persona of the Shredder, but I don't know who he really is," Gage answered and I scowled.

"Why?! Why do people follow in his footsteps? He was a monster from the deepest pits of Hell!"

"Calm down," Donatello said as I shrugged his arm off my shoulders. I took a step forward, my legs shaking terribly.

"No. I won't calm down. Not as long as the Shredder goes on. He tried to kill us, he killed Chris!" My legs finally gave out from beneath me and I fell forward. Gage caught me before I hit the ground and I could see a pained expression in his eyes. I stared at him for a moment before trying to push myself away.

"Don't struggle. You'll only hurt yourself more," he murmured and lifted me off the ground. Gage allowed me to use him as a crutch as he brought be back to where Donny was standing. My brother carried me on his back as he moved away from Gage.

"I don't know what to think, Gage. This is something I'll be talking with my family about," I answered.

"Before you go, there's something else I want to tell you. Tonight at eleven, a team of Foot Ninjas are going to break into another Biotech lab and steal whatever is being researched there." I nodded as Donatello turned to leave. Gage remained where he stood, watching as we walked back home with my brothers still hiding in the shadows.

* * *

**Ooh... questions to be answered. Alright, I honestly want to know what you guys think of Gage right now. Is he telling the truth, or lying to try and get back at Amy later? Or is it something else? What are your theories? Please R&R.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Finally got another chapter typed up. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. Chris belongs to Solaris Prime. I get Amy and Gage.**

* * *

We were all gathered around the television the next morning, watching the news. Just as Gage had said, another Biotech lab had been robbed, and detonated. My hands clenched into fists in my lap as I watched the report. Mona's jaw dropped and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"He was telling the truth," Mikey murmured.

"I figured he was," I answered, clicking off the television.

"So… what now?" Mona asked.

"We need to figure out what to do about Gage," Leo answered.

"I don't trust 'im," Raph muttered.

"It didn't seem like he wanted to hurt Amy," Don said, mostly thinking aloud, "but it could have easily been an act."

"But why would he opt to lie to us, rather than try to kill you both right there? He could've easily brought an army of Foot Ninjas, but he didn't No one was there but us. He probably knew we would come, but he still didn't bring backup. Why?" Leo murmured.

"Perhaps there is more to him than you previously assumed, my sons. If he spoke the truth of his contract, there may be more in his words," Master Splinter said.

"But how do we know, Master Splinter?" I asked.

"What do you believe, Amelia?"

"I don't know."

"Why did you wish to meet him?"

"I wanted some answers."

"You wanted to know if it was all a misunderstanding," Mona suggested. I stared at her for a moment, my jaw dropping slightly. She was right, I realized. I was hoping that Gage wasn't really as malicious as my brothers believed. My hopes were realized when he explained everything the night before, but I was still confused. Did I believe him or not?"

"I want to believe he's not really against us, but I don't think I should," I murmured.

"What's yer gut-feelin'?" Raph asked.

"Believe him." My brothers' eyes widened slightly, obviously surprised by my response.

"After everything?" Leo asked.

"That's why I don't know what to do! No matter what I choose, I'm wrong. If I believe his story, you guys are furious. If I don't believe him, I feel like I've made the wrong choice."

"Do what _you_ believe is right, not what your brothers do," Master Splinter answered. I glanced at each member of my family and sighed, coming to a decision. Before I could second-guess myself, I pulled out my shell cell and dialed Gage's number.

"Hello?" he answered, more of a questioning tone in his voice than usual.

"Gage, I believe you, but I don't fully trust you yet," I said and my brothers gaped at me.

"I didn't expect you to easily. I know how hard it is to earn your trust. So, where do we go from here?"

"I want you to meet my brothers and me at the same place you met them before, where the truck and the motorcycle are. Come at noon."

"I'll see you then, Amy," Gage answered and we hung up. When I dared to look at my brothers, Raphael was furious. Mikey was shocked, Leo had the expression he usually reserved for a dangerous mission and Don simply sighed heavily.

"What're ya thinkin', Ame?" Raph demanded.

"You guys can blame this on yourselves. _You_ set us up. You're the reason I want to believe him so badly," I answered.

"Point taken, but why do you want to meet him again in the garage?" Don asked.

"Every truce needs its foundation."

Hours later, at noon, my brothers and I took the elevator up to the garage. Leo, Don, Raph and Mike were all on edge, for which I couldn't blame them. If the roles had been reversed, I'd likely feel the same way. When we reached the garage, I walked over to the folding chairs and set them up for us in the middle of the floor. A light knocking came from the large metal door and Raph lifted it, allowing Gage to enter. My brother was glaring harshly at him, seeming ready to kill.

"Good to see you guys again. I wish it was under better circumstances," Gage greeted.

"So do I," I answered, sitting on one of the chairs while motioning to another for Gage.

"I'll stand, thanks. I'm a little afraid of your brothers."

"With good reason, dude," Mikey mumbled, his hands resting on the nunchakus at his hip. Gage glanced at him with a frown before turning his attention back to me.

"So, to what do I owe the honor of this meeting?"

"I need to know where we stand. You say you hate the Foot Clan but can't leave them. That means we have to be reluctant enemies unless we can come up with something good," I answered.

"No reluctance here," Raph growled and I glanced at him. I knew my brothers would be trying to discourage Gage from even speaking to me. I didn't want that.

"I want to help you guys in any way I can. I just don't know… Wait! I'm in pretty good, in terms of rank. That could be to your advantage," Gage suggested.

"How so?" I asked. Donny hummed in thought behind me.

"It's possible that his position could keep us informed," he murmured. "Gag, how often are you informed on what's happening in the Foot Clan."

"Every day. I'm sent a message either reminding me of an upcoming event or telling me about a new one. I can know almost everything that the ninjas are doing."

"You could be an informant."

"And I have no qualms with that."

"How dangerous would it be?" I asked.

"For you? Not very. I could warn you of almost anything, unless _I'm_ misinformed. For me? Pretty hazardous. If they catch me, they'll likely kill me on the spot. I don't care. I already told you I've considered death before the Foot Clan. As they'd say: Death before dishonor. It would be a great honor to have a hand in undermining them," Gage answered.

"I hope you realize how difficult it'll be for us to trust your word."

"I know. I don't plan on letting you down, though. I plan to set things right."

"That'll be even harder, Gage," I told him.

"I know."

"There's one more thing I want to address."

"Hmmm?"

"What do I mean to you?" My brothers all gave me an odd look, but Gage only smiled.

"Everything," he answered simply and I smiled softly.

"That's all I really wanted to hear from you."

* * *

**Ugh! I think I gave myself a cavity with the end of this chapter... Anyway, please R&R.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Well, I finally got around to finishing _this_ chapter. lol. I was working on it for a short time, lost interest, then picked it back up the other day... Let me tell you, I finally got over that cavity I gave myself from last chapter's sweet ending, then I gave myself an even worse one with this chapter. I have _got_ to get out of this mushy mood with this story... I don't do it in my upcoming Bleach story (of course, that also has a WHOLE different thing going on). Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Enjoy the latest chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. I only have Amy and Gage. Chris and his story belong to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

"Another note from your boyfriend?" Mona asked with a slightly teasing tone.

I frowned, folding the paper in my hand and hiding the fake black rose behind my back. For the past month, Gage had taken to leaving those false flowers in April's shop, right on the counter Don and I worked. Hidden within the petals was always a slip of paper with the plans of the Foot Clan. There was even some information every once in a while that was helping Don figure out what turned my brothers human. Mona often liked to tease me about how I was getting flowers.

"He's not-" I started.

"You can't hide it from me, Amy."

"What makes you say that?"

"You still love him, and I bet he loves you, based on what I've heard."

"But how can that work if I can't trust him?"

"You guys have come to trust his word when it comes to those letters. You still see Gage often, by yourself. I'd say you're well on your way to fully trusting him again."

"I don't know if that's possible, Mona," I answered as I began walking to Don's computer. The note from Gage was about some of the biotechnology tests that were being performed by Stockman. Setting the paper on his desk, I stared up at the monitors.

"A new one?" Don asked, picking up the slip of paper.

"Yeah. Are you making any progress on this?"

"A lot more, now that Gage is helping us." I nodded slowly, mulling over Mona Lisa's words and staring at the black rose in my hands.

"Donny, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Amy. What's up?" he asked, turning his chair towards me.

"You met Gage first, and am I right to assume you told the others about him?" Don sighed heavily.

"Yeah."

"What made you think I'd like him, especially after how I'd acted around him at first?"

"He had a personality I know you like."

"What makes you so sure of what I like?" I asked with a slight smirk.

"I could tell by the way you acted. Even when you seemed so upset to see him, you never once made other plans before Friday, knowing that was when he came."

"That's because Fridays can be busy. I didn't want you to get swamped," I answered defensively. My brother chuckled, shaking his head.

"Maybe, but I was right, and we all agreed," he said.

"So… he wasn't to replace Chris, right?"

"Of course not. We'd never try to do that to you. Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to know if you think he's trustworthy, and not just someone to fill an empty space."

"I can't tell you to trust him, Amy, but he's really trying for you."

"I know," I murmured, looking down at my rose.

Later in the day, I met with Gage outside of April's antique shop. He seemed a bit surprised that I'd asked him to meet me so late in the evening, but happy to see me. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt with my sneakers, meaning I was planning on staying in plain sight for much of the evening. Gage was dressed just as casually, but with a dark brown coat.

"Where to?" he asked with a smile.

"There's somewhere I want to bring you, which only my family knows about," I answered solemnly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I led Gage to Central Park, in an area that few people walked around, or really noticed. The walk was silent and I could tell he was afraid to break it. We stopped in an area surrounded by trees, hidden from the rest of the park. Beneath the largest of the trees was a small stone slab with a name and two numbers.

"Christopher Nova," Gage murmured, reading aloud. "Who was he?"

"He was my brother. He was killed ten months ago, saving us all from the Shredder… or another incarnation."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you alright? It must have been hard."

"It has been hard. There was nothing left of him. This is just a memorial stone. I have one of his blades at home. He took the other one with him." Gage's arm draped over my shoulders as we stared down at the marker.

"You're strong, Amy, but I hope you haven't been trying to deal with this all on your own."

"It's mine to bear. Besides, I'm fine. Why should I worry my brothers even more?"

"Because they're your brothers." I sighed with a soft chuckle and stepped forward, placing a stick of incense on the stone. Once I lit the incense, I placed my hand on the cool stone slab and a small smile crossed my lips.

"He was my best friend, you know," I murmured.

"I can only imagine. I can't believe I haven't heard of him, since he was part of your family."

"Your father may have referred to him as a 'blind brat'. Does that help?" I glanced over my shoulder to see Gage's eyes widen in realization.

"That was your brother?" he asked in shock.

"Blinded by Shredder and given his sight back by Don. I take it you've heard of him after all?"

"Heard of him? He could fight blind, and _win_. My father never stopped complaining about him."

"Chris would be happy to hear that," I answered, my voice dropping to a low murmur as I stared back down at the memorial stone. Gage knelt beside me, a serious air around him again, and wrapped one arm around me. He placed his other hand on the stone marker.

"Don't worry, Chris. She's being taken care of down here. She's got her family, me, and her guardian angel. I know you probably want to see her again, but I think you'll be content with what I've got planned. Sorry, Chris, but you won't be able to see your sister again until she dies an old lady, warm in her bed." A smile crept onto my face as I leaned into Gage's embrace. He wrapped his other arm around me and rested his head on mine.

"I think I can live with that arrangement."

"Good. I'd hate to break a promise to your brother. If he's anything like the other four, I'd be in for some serious haunting," Gage answered lightly and with a soft chuckle in his words.

"So, how do you plan to keep that promise for so long?"

"Simple, Amy. I won't let anything hurt you again and, if you want me around, I won't ever leave you." I sighed and laughed quietly.

"You're a hopeless romantic, you know that?"

* * *

**Yay! Cheesy-ness galore! ... I really hope I can get back into the serious mood I had before... I liked that one better... Sorry, I work better with the angsty/tragedy/slightly darker style than I do with the cutesy stuff. lol. At least, that's my opinion. Anyway, please R&R.**


	26. Chapter 26

**I know... It's been six months since my last update. I'm sorry... I was struggling with the how to move it along again... Thankfully, Sol messaged me and get me in gear again. lol. So, after forever, here's another chapter of "Beautiful Disaster". And let me tell you something. I haven't written in first person POV in so long that it was odd to get back into it. lol. By the way, you people will never understand how much I HATE typing in the Word Processor on a Mac... I can't even figure out how to save it as a .doc document. I had to copy and past this chapter into another thing I've already uploaded to the site, and get rid of what was previously there...**

**Anyway, enough of my ramblings.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. I only have Amy and Gage. Chris (wherever he may be) belongs to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

A month had passed with no incident, which worried my brothers and me. Lately, it seemed like there was always _something_ waiting around the next corner. Then again, it could've been paranoia from years of fighting the Shredder and his forces. Relaxation was not something that was very common around the lair. Sure, my brothers and I could _seem_ relaxed, but the fact of the matter was we always had to keep our guard up. Especially considering the fact that my brothers were still human. They were more vulnerable, though they were finally growing used to their bodies. I was even becoming more used to seeing them that way, rather than the turtles I'd grown up with.

But the lair was quiet. Master Splinter and Leo were meditating together. Mikey had a pair of earbuds on, likely blasting his favorite Bon Jovi song, while he played video games. Don was at his computers- big shocker there. Raph was out, probably on his Shell Cycle and had been gone for at least an hour. Mona was lounging back on the couch and watching the news on one of the televisions not being used by Michelangelo. I was dressed for an evening out with Gage, as he'd called me earlier.

Things were almost normal between Gage and me again. I didn't trust him as much as I used to, but I wasn't angry about what happened anymore. After the promise he'd made to Chris at his grave, I knew he would try to live up to his word. I was going to meet Gage at an Italian restaurant not far from April's shop. I could walk there, even dressed as I was. For the evening, I'd chosen to wear a skirt for the first time in years with a delicate blouse and a simple pair of sandals. The outfit wasn't extravagant, but certainly different from my usual attire.

"I'll be back in a few hours," I called out as I neared the exit to the lair.

"You have your shell cell?" Donatello asked.

"When don't I?"

"Call if you need anything."

"I'm going out with Gage. I'll be fine," I answered with a chuckle and left the lair, punching in the security code to lock the door behind me. Don used to always get on our cases if we didn't lock up behind us; it was second-nature now.

After emerging in the alley beside April's shop, I covered the manhole and began walking down the main road towards the restaurant where I would be meeting Gage. It wasn't long before I saw a few burly men dressed in black nearing me. Looking them over, I recognized their uniforms as belonging to those who worked for Agent John Bishop. He was a wack-job that was convinced my brothers were aliens and trying to take over the world. I stopped where I was and reached for my tessen, which was hooked onto the belt around my waist.

"We're going to ask you to come with us," one of the men said.

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

"We won't be so polite." I glanced around at the men. There were only three of them. I could handle it. There was no need to call my brothers.

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to teach you some manners, because I'm not going anywhere with you." I whipped out my tessen and dove for the man directly in front of me, kicking my foot around his ankle to knock him off balance. The other two lunged at me as I jumped back and they nearly ran into each other. People passing by were beginning to gather into a crowd.

"What's the FBI doing here?" someone asked.

"Don't be stupid. That's the CIA," another barked.

"Either way, that girl must have really done something to get them on her."

I glanced at the bystanders, praying they didn't get caught in the crossfire that came with me defending myself. As I focused my attention back on the men before me, I reached for a a throwing-star. Unfortunately, I realized too late, I hadn't brought any because I hadn't thought they'd be necessary. Before I could leap back from the next attack, I felt a shock race through my body and I screamed as I fell to the ground. They'd used a taser on me!

"You're coming with us," one of the agents said darkly before knocking me out with a blow to the head.

When I finally came to, my head was pounding and I was upright. Odd, I thought, but pushed it aside as I tried to take in my surroundings. Wherever I was, it wasn't a place I wanted to be and I needed to get out. I opened my eyes, expecting to be blinded by some kind of spotlight in my face. Instead, I was met with complete and utter darkness. It hadn't even been worth opening my eyes for all they could tell me. I quickly relied on what my other senses could tell me, my head still pounding in time with my heartbeat. Not fun.

I was sure I was upright and it felt like my arms and legs were bound. There were metal cuffs around my wrists, holding them above my head at a painful angle. It felt like I was hanging by my arms from the ceiling, wherever that was. At my ankles were matching shackles and I was vaguely aware of something solid beneath my feet. The floor, I hoped. After testing how sturdy the surface was, I tried to stand up on my own to relieve the pain from my arms. After the soreness in my shoulders subsided, I tried to see how far I could pull my hands down. They felt numb, likely from the lack of blood reaching them. I could only pull them a couple inches down before the cuffs stopped and dug into my wrists. Note to self: don't pull on the cuffs.

I figured I probably should have been terrified in this position, but I knew I'd been taken by Bishop's goons. I was probably being held in some makeshift prison. Why they wanted me was beyond my thought process at the moment, but I was pretty sure I'd find out soon enough. I was proven correct when, only moments later, I was blinded by light pouring into the room as a door opened. One man walked inside with a holographic image of a man beside him.

I scowled at them both.

"Amelia Hamato," the physical man said. He was dressed in a black suit and tie with a pair of mirror sunglasses over his eyes. Beside him was a holographic image of a black man wearing glasses and a lab coat.

"Bishop," I spat. "And Baxter Stockman. How's the glass jar treating you?"

"Insolent brat!" the so-called genius yelled.

"If you answer our questions, we'll let you go free," Bishop said. I scoffed.

"And I'd believe you because..."

"Your life is in my hands."

"I'm shaking in my boots," I answered cheekily.

Strange, I thought, that I wasn't as scared as I normally would have been. What was giving me this confidence in the face of possible death? Normally, I would be able to put on a front, but be ready to scream on the inside. Now, nothing. No sense of impending doom was running through my veins. Was it because of what happened with Gage? Before I could put more thought into my behavior, I felt something sharp slice at my side and screamed out.

"You _will_ answer my questions, or you won't be seeing your precious turtles again," Bishop warned darkly. I scowled but found pleasure in knowing he hadn't learned of my brothers' odd transformation. I spat in his face.

"You don't scare me, _Agent Bishop_."

"I will."

* * *

**Bishop is intimidating, I won't lie... He gives me the creeps sometimes. So, there's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Please R&R.**


	27. Chapter 27

**So, I'm back to that irregular updating, where I get this random urge to write after months of no activity... Sorry if I'm giving people whiplash with that...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. I only have Amy and Gage. Chris belongs to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

I was in pain. Even without the ability to see, I knew I was likely covered in bruises. My lip was split from the last interrogation session and my left eye was swelling. The cuts I'd received the first time Bishop came had closed, but were far from healing. For all I knew, they could be infected. I certainly felt horrible enough to be fighting infection.

I didn't even know how long I had been trapped there. Hours? Days? Weeks? Time was nonexistent there, save for the time Bishop came to interrogate me. He always asked the same questions, having one of his agents beat me if I didn't answer. And the government was funding this? I hoped the ones who funded this didn't know about Bishop's interrogation methods. At least their conscience would be clear.

Agent Bishop wanted to know how to get into the lair. That was the demand that came most often. He knew _where_ the lair was. The problem was getting past Donny's security systems. My genius brother had that place rigged up more than Fort Knox. It was impossible to get in without the codes. I knew this because I'd helped Don set up the system.

The door to my holding cell open and I was temporarily blinded by the hall light again. It was shut before my eyes could adjust. A dim glow now met me, coming off of the holographic image of Stockman. He wore the same smug, arrogant smirk that he always wore when he came to see me. His visits were never amiable; usually so he could boast of his 'genius' or say something to make me lose hope. This time, it was the latter.

"I'm surprised you've made it this long," he began with a low chuckle.

"Right back at you," I retorted, earning a scowl.

"You know, you'll never leave here if you don't answer Agent Bishop's questions."

"Then you might as well start forwarding my mail here, because I'll never sell out my family."

"You plan to die for them, don't you? You plan to die a worthless death, like that blind one."

"Don't you say another word about Chris," I growled.

"Do you plan to join him, I wonder?"

"Shut up!"

"My, my. It seems I've found a weak point in your armor."

"Not like it matters. There's nothing you can do or say that will make me tell you how to get to my brothers."

"The brothers that underwent an odd transformation months ago. They're human now, are they not?" he asked with that arrogant smirk deepening.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I wasn't sure if he was bluffing, and I wasn't going to give him any information. If he knew something, I was going to make him tell me.

"It's no use playing dumb. I know the turtles are humans because _I_ am the one who organized it."

"Yeah, right. Like _you're _capable of pulling off something like that." Stockman scowled and I knew I had him.

"I slipped a gas into the city's sewage line. It would only affect those who had been mutated previously. This gas continued the evolution process until the turtles were no longer mutated, but fully human."

"Sounds like something from a bad sci-fi flick. Mikey'd probably watch it. Besides, how would you even be able to get your hands on the stuff? The Foot Clan has been blowing up Biotech labs left and right."

"Don't be ignorant, girl. I've utilized every resource available to me."

"So, what, you're working for this new Shredder _and_ Bishop?"

"Precisely," he answered smugly.

"And neither one knows you're sleeping with the other side."

"Crude brat."

"But I'm right," I retorted. "And let me guess. You have more of that stuff you used on my brothers hiding somewhere in this building."

"What kind of fool do you take me for? Of course there's more of the serum. Unfortunately for you, you won't be leaving this room until your heart stops beating."

"Are you done gloating? If I'm going to die in the next interrogation, I'd like to be well-rested for it."

* * *

I was left alone again for hours. Nothing to keep me company but the darkness of my holding cell. I didn't want to think of all that could have been in that room. For all I knew, I could be with previous interrogation victims. Then again, Bishop struck me as a neat-freak. He wouldn't let rotting bodies hang in this room for long. Besides, I would have smelled it when I first woke up here.

I was so tired. I'd gone through another two interrogations sessions since that talk with Stockman. Even _I_ was surprised I was still living. I was always drifting in and out of consciousness. Then there were the times when I was in some kind of in-between state of mind. Must have been my body's way of coping with the pain, I figured. How did that song go? _Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door_. Yeah, that pretty much summed up how I felt.

"Ame, wake up," someone whispered. It was a voice had hadn't heard in a long time, though it was slightly deeper now. I must have been imagining it, I figured. Either that, or I really was knocking on heaven's door. I felt a hand on my shoulder and another caress my cheek. I leaned into it, relishing in the gentle touch.

"Not real," I murmured, my voice thick and sluggish. In response, I received a low chuckle. I felt a pair of lips press against my forehead gently. The hand left my shoulder and I felt something hard and cold being placed in my right hand.

"Real enough. I want you to try and stand."

"No use."

"What happened to the Amelia I knew, huh? She'd never just give up."

"You see me?" I muttered. I figured I must have looked as terrible as I felt. Then again, maybe I was dead and looked like how he'd always seen me.

"I don't need to see you to know you're strong and beautiful."

I scoffed. "Not now."

"Stand up, Ame."

I was skeptical and didn't think I had the strength to stand, but I tried it anyway. An arm wrapped around my waist carefully, trying not to hit my fresh wounds, and helped me lift up onto my feet. It felt like the floor was swaying beneath me, but my knees didn't give out. That was a plus. My shoulders were still hurting, but I was able to keep a grip on the object that had been placed in my hand. I heard a few clicking noises and my wrists were released from the shackles they'd been in. I stumbled forward, but was caught by the man in front of me.

"Am I dead?" I asked, my forehead resting on his chest. He chuckled softly and hugged me, pressing his chin to the top of my head.

"You honestly think I'd let that happen? Just because your boyfriend can't keep a promise to keep you safe doesn't mean I can't."

"I miss you, Chris," I whispered, tears brimming in my eyes and my voice cracking. He was silent for a moment.

"I know you do."

"Love you."

"You know I love you too," he answered softly and kissed the top of my head. "The door's going to open and I want you to run and get out of here. Take a left when you get into the hallway and keep going. The guys are here, trying to find you. If you keep just keep running, you'll find them."

"Will I see you again?"

He let go of me and pulled back. I reached forward to grab him again, but only met air. A moment later, the door opened, letting in a thin beam of light that blinded me for a moment. No one entered the room and my eyes were given the opportunity to adjust. I looked down at my hand and saw that I was now holding a knife that matched the one I kept in my room, the one that belonged to Chris. Glancing around the room, I saw nothing to indicate what I'd just experienced was real. The only evidence I had was the knife and the fact I was free.

I didn't waste any more time as I stumbled to the door.

* * *

**I had quite a bit of fun with the end. Big thanks go to Sol for helping me with this part. It was an awesome idea and I was able to work it EXACTLY as I had hoped it would turn out. ;) **

**By the way, the song mentioned is "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Guns N' Roses.**

**Please R&R.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Well, this story is finally coming to a close. Only one more chapter after this one... I hope you guys have enjoyed the ride. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. I only have Amy and Gage. Chris belongs to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

Red lights flashed and a siren screamed as I stumbled down the hall of Bishop's base. The wall was my only support as I followed Chris' orders to find my brothers and Gage. Each step I took sent a shot of pain through my body, but I pushed myself forward. I couldn't stop, not when I was so close to freedom.

The longer I followed the hallway, the more collapsed bodies I found strewn about the floor. They were all Bishop's agents and most were unconscious, if not dead. I looked at the blade in my hand again, but found no blood on it. It was strange for these men to be in such bad conditions, though my brothers hadn't passed me. It wasn't long before I came to a cross in my path and I glanced around in search of enemies.

"Amy!" the voice of Michelangelo screamed and my gaze snapped forward to see him running at me with Raphael. Both looked relieved to see me, though Mikey also looked scared and Raph was infuriated.

"You found me," I murmured as my knees finally gave out on me. I was caught and lifted into the arms of my second-eldest brother, my head resting against his chest.

"We're gettin' ya outta here, Ame," he said reassuringly.

"Get the serum."

"What?"

"I'll turn you back. Tell Donny to get the serum from Stockman's lab."

"Stockman?" Mikey exclaimed. I nodded numbly as my vision started to fade. Raph began sprinting down the corridor, likely to meet up with the rest of our brothers.

"Ya better stay awake," he growled.

"It hurts," I answered with tears in my eyes. Raph's running steps were no less painful than my own struggled attempts to walk. My brother's scowl only deepened and I figured he was probably thinking of killing anyone who had hurt me. Another wave of pain struck me and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You found her!" Leo exclaimed from a distance and I wondered again how long I'd been held hostage.

"We need to go, now," Mikey yelled back. "Amy's really hurt."

"Get the serum," I murmured.

"What serum?" Don asked.

He sounded even farther away, though there would've been no way for him to hear me at a distance. I tried to open my eyes to explain, but my vision was clouded. My head swam and lolled to the side.

"Amy!" someone screamed, but I couldn't answer. I drifted out of consciousness.

* * *

When consciousness finally decided to return to me, I almost wished for it to leave again. With coherent thought came the recognition of pain. I could feel every wound I'd received throbbing in time with my heartbeat and I could swear I felt my pulse behind my swollen eyelids. I let out a groan in pain and tried to lift my arm.

"Don't move," the soothing voice of Donatello warned.

My eyes cracked open and I was met by the dim light of a lamp. I was in my own room. Donny was seated at my desk, beside the lamp, and reading a book. I turned my head to see him better and he offered me a gentle smile.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "Is everyone okay?"

Don chuckled. "You've been unconscious for a full day from extensive injuries, and you're worried about us?"

"I'll take that as a yes. What happened?"

"After you passed out? We got you out of there."

"No elaboration?"

"Not until you're feeling better."

"If I can sit up, will you tell me?"

"If you try, I'll get Raph to hold you down."

"Fair enough," I mumbled with a chuckle. "What time is it now?"

He glanced at his watch. "Just past three in the morning."

"What?" Why are you still up?"

"We've all been taking shifts watching you," Don answered. "Everyone's been worried about you."

"Not surprising. I was beaten during Bishop's interrogations."

"I'm sorry, Amy."

I gave him a confused look. "Why are you apologizing? You couldn't have prevented it, and it's not your fault. I'm just glad you guys found me when you did."

"Gage was worried when you didn't show up for your date, so he called us. We tried your shell cell, but it was out." Don chuckled then. "You should have seen Raph. I thought he was going to kill Gage for a minute, there. Anyway, we tracked your phone and found you in Bishop's base. Amy, how did you escape?" he asked. I looked away from my brother and stared up at the ceiling.

"You wouldn't believe me," I muttered.

"What happened, Amy?"

"Where's the knife I was holding?"

I had to know it was real. If I'd really been holding that blade, then I could believe I was saved by Chris. Donatello leaned across my desk and held up the knife that had been given to me upon my escape.

"There wasn't any blood on it and you had no other weapons. So, how did you defeat the guards?"

"I didn't… All of my brothers came to rescue me," I murmured, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I could still feel Chris embracing me in my torture chamber; could still hear his voice. He had sounded so in-control, but I heard the fear underlying in his tone. He was worried about me, I knew.

"Of course we all went. Gage did too," Don answered.

"No. I mean, it was Chris who saved me." I turned my gaze back towards Donny to see an even softer expression in his eyes.

"Amy, you know-"

"I know it couldn't be possible, but that's how I remember it. He unlocked my shackles. He gave me his other blade. I felt him. And he told me how to find you. The guards were already incapacitated when I ran by. I believe Chris saved me, whether or not he was really there."

"Just… please, don't expect him to come back. We wouldn't be able to bear seeing you like that again."

I nodded slowly, knowing Don was talking about the pain I'd experienced for months after Chris' death. I knew better than to hope he was alive. Chris was simply my guardian angel, as Gage had referred to him.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "Did you get the serum? Was Stockman telling the truth?"

"Gage and I found it, yes. Leo, Raph, Mikey and I will be turtles again soon."

"I'm glad you guys will be back to your old selves again."

Don ran a hand through his hair with a chuckle. "We'll have to adjust all over again, but it'll be good to be back in my own skin." There was a moment of silence between us where we just stared at each other.

"Donny, how long was I there?" I asked softly. My brother sighed and rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward.

"A week. We had tried to get you out sooner, but the security was tight."

"What happened to the building?"

"It doesn't exist anymore. Casey, Raph and Gage found some highly combustible materials in a few of the labs. The rest is history."

"Good. I'm glad Bishop's out of our hair for now."

"He'll probably be back," Donny murmured.

"Then we'll just have to be better prepared next time."

Don gave me a gentle smile. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who as put up with my random updates and mood whiplash throughout this fanfiction. It means a lot to me that you have been reading. :)**

**Please R&R.**


	29. Chapter 29

**IT'S DONE! Wow... I can't believe I finally finished this. I'm so excited! But I'm also kinda sad, too... This was such a fun story to work on (as much as it drove in insane at times). I'm going to miss having to look back on and growl at when I can't think of anything to move it along. lol. But it's good to have it completed. I feel like I've accomplished something with this. There were times when I wasn't sure if I'd be able to complete it, but with a little help, I was able to do it. :) So, for the last time...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or its characters. I only have Amy and Gage. Christopher Nova (wherever he may be) belongs to Solaris Prime.**

* * *

A few days later, I was in the park with Gage and my brothers. They were all against me being up and moving, but I'd insisted that I wanted to spend the day with all of my brothers. They all agreed to allow that for today only, because it was my twentieth birthday. Of course, it was under the condition that I was carried to the park and back. As I looked around my family in the park, I couldn't help but smile.

Leo, dressed in his khakis and a blue button-up, was knelt before Chris' gravestone, beside me. He was paying his respects to our passed brother, but I wondered if he was also thanking Chris. I'd told all my brothers, Gage, Mona and Master Splinter about what I'd experienced. Even Casey and April knew, having been told by Donny. Master Splinter had said that he believed Chris really had protected me, as my guardian.

Raphael was leaning against the nearest tree with his arms crossed in front of his chest, staring down at the stone tablet before me. Raph never liked seeing his family hurt. When Chris had left us, Raph was angrier. He'd wished he could have done more. Now, with the condition I was put in, he felt guilty again. Of course, this was Raph and he'd never admit it, but I knew better.

Donny was dressed in the outfit I'd first bought for him and was sitting a few feet from Raph, his arm resting on his knee. He looked relaxed and at ease, except for his eyes. They were watching me carefully, likely to make sure I wasn't pushing myself with this little trip to the park.

Mikey was hanging upside-down from a tree branch with a grin on his face. His cheeks and forehead were beginning to turn pink from the blood rushing to his head, but he didn't seem to care. He was enjoying his last day as human, since my brothers had all decided to become turtles again the day after my birthday.

Gage was seated next to me on the ground with his legs crossed. He was having me lean against him while we paid our respects to Chris. My brothers, Gage and I were all around the stone tablet, surrounding it. Surrounding Chris with our love for him. I almost laughed at the analogy. Since when was I so deep?

"I can't believe it's been almost a year," Leo murmured.

"Two more weeks," I answered and my brothers all stared at me in silence. Gage's arm around my shoulders tensed and I shook my head. "Don't act like you guys hadn't noticed the date. How many times do I have to tell you I'm fine?"

"It's their job to worry about you," Gage offered with a chuckle.

"Uh-huh. And what's _your_ excuse?"

"I made a promise, remember?"

"Yeah, and he thinks your performance left much to be desired."

"I'm working on it. I'm still learning."

"Ya betta learn quick," Raph answered and Mikey laughed.

"I think you're failing the class, dude," he added and dropped from the branch, rolling to sit with his legs crossed. Mike then placed a hand on his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, prompting a laugh from the rest of us.

"Lightheaded, Mikey?" Don asked as our laughter died down.

"Oh, hardy-har-har." Leo stood from where he was knelt and gave me a smile that made me wonder what he was thinking.

"We should go back to the lair. Casey and April will be coming down soon, and I think Mona Lisa and Master Splinter would like to spend some time with you, Amy." The rest of my brothers stood, as did Gage, and Raph moved to pick me up.

"Can I stay here just a couple more minutes? I want to be alone for a bit," I requested. My brothers all looked concerned for me again and I sighed. Gage looked down at me and winked.

"I'll stay here, and bring her back when she's ready to go home," he offered.

"Ya don't exactly have de best track record with 'er," Raph answered, his gaze hardening.

"Just for a few minutes," I assured. "Please, guys."

Leo sighed. "Ten minutes, tops. Any longer, and we're coming back."

"Got it. Thank you, Leo." My brothers all walked off, heading back to the lair, while Gage and I watched them. Once they were gone, Gage turned his eyes to me.

"I take it you don't want me eavesdropping while you talk to Chris," he said.

"If you don't mind."

He shook his head and started walking. "I won't be far. Just holler when you're ready." Once Gage was past the trees, I turned back to Chris' memorial stone.

"Thank you for coming to rescue me, Chris," I murmured. "That's twice now that you've saved my life. I really owe you. I don't know if you're here right now, but I know you're alive." My voice broke and I was silent for a few minutes, wiping the tears that formed in my eyes. "As well as I know you, I can't pretend to know why you haven't come back to us. I just have to trust that you have your own reasons. If you ever decide to come home, just know that we're still your family, we love you and you're always welcome… You know, Gage isn't going to stop trying to keep me safe. With any luck, you won't _have_ to save me again, but then that means I probably won't get to see you again, huh? I wish I could…"

I rubbed my eyes again and placed my hand on the memorial stone. The dates were wrong on it, I figured. After all, how could there be an end date if he was alive? Then again, maybe I was just fooling myself. I wished I had some way of knowing.

"Turn around," Chris' voice whispered and I whirled around where I sat on the ground.

There was no one there. He had sounded like he was right behind me, but I couldn't be sure. Chris had always liked to throw his voice to confuse people. However, on the ground behind me was a small bouquet of a half-dozen white roses, tied together with a grey ribbon. I picked up the flowers and found a card in the middle of them.

In Chris' half-cursive handwriting, it read a simple, 'Happy birthday, Ame.' I smiled softly and put the card in my pocket.

"Thank you Chris," I whispered before calling for Gage. When he came, his gaze immediately went to the roses in my hands.

"Where'd you get the flowers?" he asked as he picked me up.

"My guardian angel." Gage chuckled and his eyes fell to the stone marker.

"You dropped the card," he said and leaned over to pick it up. "Huh? It says, 'PS I approve too.' What's that mean?" I could only laugh as I wrapped my arms around Gage's neck.

"Don't worry about it," I answered and kissed him. "Let's go home."

* * *

**Again, thanks to all who have read and put up with me. I know I can be a pain at times with my random updates and mood-whiplash, but was it worth it? I hope so. :)**

**And I have two special thank-yous. The first goes to my co-author, Ashley. Without her, I would never have been able to get past the first few chapters of this story. :D**

**And the next goes to Solaris Prime, who helped me get back into gear when I really needed it. You let me use your character, and you gave me the brilliant idea towards the very end there. I don't think the ending would have been as smooth as it was without your help, so thanks. :)**

**Please R&R. I would love to know what you all thought of the full story.**


End file.
